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Secondary Education: Class Sizes

Answer

The available information is contained in the following table. Data on classes of over 25 and 20 pupils are not readily available. The available relevant data has been italicised. Note that these figures do not include academies.

Maintained secondary schools: classes as taught¹,²—Position in January each year: 2003 to 2007³, England
	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007³
Secondary schools
Average class size	21.9	21.8	21.7	21.5	21.3
Total number of classes	142,190	143,650	143,500	144,330	144,420
Percentage of classes with
1 to 30 pupils	92.0	91.8	92.3	92.4	92.7
31 to 35 pupils	7.9	8.0	7.6	7.4	7.1
36 or more pupils	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2
Total number of pupils	3,110,570	3,131,910	3,108,020	3,099,160	3,069,470
Percentage of pupils in classes with
1 to 30 pupils	88.3	88.0	88.6	88.7	89.0
31 to 35 pupils	11.5	11.7	11.2	11.0	10.7
36 or more pupils	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3
¹ One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. ² Includes middle schools as deemed. ³ Provisional. Source: School Census

The contents of this table were published as part of the recent Statistical First Release on pupil characteristics which can be found at:"http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000726/index.shtml"

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

149107; 463 c124W

Session

2006-07

Subjects

Class sizes Secondary education

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk