Written question asked by James McMurdock (Reform UK) on Thursday, 3 April 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 April 2025. It was answered by Catherine McKinnell (Labour) on Thursday, 10 April 2025 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Secondary Education: Class Sizes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of (a) the average class size in secondary schools and (b) the number of secondary school places available to young people in (i) England and (ii) Essex.

Answer

The department publishes information on class sizes in England in the annual accredited official statistics, ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’. The most recent data can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24.

The average class sizes for secondary schools in the Essex region and across England for the 2023/24 academic year are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/aada0205-1f9a-48fc-a8c1-08dd736ca4ba.

Data on state-funded school places is published at national and local authority level in the annual school capacity statistics publication. The latest data is for academic year 2023/24 and can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity/2023-24.

The number of school places in mainstream state secondary schools in England and Essex as of 1 May 2024, as well as how many were unfilled, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8e1c8b2e-fc28-436c-9b02-08dd7377d1ad.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

Secondary information