The impact of any tax changes affecting independent schools on the state sector will be carefully considered. The government will complete its analysis once details of the policy changes have been confirmed. The department is supporting HM Treasury which will deliver tax changes. Further details will be announced in due course.

The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils at schools in England according to the kind of school they attend. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2022-23.

The department does not collect year group data for independent school pupils as these schools are not required to follow the national curriculum and year groups may not apply. The department does publish figures by age. A table showing independent school pupils by age as of January 2023 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8b927366-344b-4505-8cc9-08dc706299c6. Generally, national curriculum year 1 corresponds to pupils aged 5 years old at the start of the school year and compulsory schooling ends at year 11 with pupils aged 15 years old at the start of the school year.

Average class size figures are published by local authority for state-funded primary and secondary schools but not by year groups within those schools. The attached table contains the breakdowns requested.

Schools are free to decide their class sizes (other than infant classes), in a way that is consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential.

The assessment of the evidence by the Education Endowment Foundation found some evidence for additional benefits of smaller class sizes with younger children, suggesting that smaller class sizes may be a more effective approach during the early stages of primary school. For older year groups, however, the impact of reducing class sizes on educational attainment is low compared to the high cost of doing so. More information can be found here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/reducing-class-size.

Research by Professor John Hattie found that reducing class sizes ranked 186 out of 250 on influences on pupil achievement. More information on this can be found online at: https://visible-learning.org/.

Despite an increase of more than a million pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, at secondary level, average class sizes remain low at only 22.4 pupils, whilst the average primary class has remained broadly stable at 26.7 pupils.

The department publishes figures on class sizes for state-funded primary and secondary schools in England. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Despite an increase of more than a million pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, at secondary level, average class sizes remain low at only 22.4 pupils, whilst the average primary class has remained broadly stable at 26.7 pupils.

The average class size in Enfield North constituency is 27.1 in state-funded primary schools, and 22.9 in state-funded secondary schools.

5.8% of state-funded primary school classes and 12.4% of state-funded secondary school classes in Enfield North constituency had more than thirty pupils in them, compared to 10.4% and 10.2% in England. Nationally, the vast majority of pupils in classes over 30 are in classes of 31 or 32.

The department does not collect information on class sizes in independent schools

The Department publishes figures on class sizes for state funded primary and secondary schools in England. The most recent figures are for January 2023 and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Despite an increase of more than a million pupils in state funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, at secondary level, average class sizes remain low at only 22.4 pupils, whilst the average primary class has remained broadly stable at 26.7 pupils.

The average class size in Warwick and Leamington constituency is 28.3 in state funded primary schools, and 22.2 in state funded secondary schools.

15.5% of state funded primary school classes and 13.8% of state funded secondary school classes in Warwick and Leamington constituency had more than 30 pupils in them, compared to 10.4% and 10.2% in England. Nationally, most pupils in classes over 30 are in classes of 31 or 32.

The Department does not collect information on class sizes in independent schools.

It is up to schools to decide on class sizes that are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential. The exception to this is in infant classrooms, where there is a statutory limit of 30 pupils in each class, with some legal exemptions.

The Education Endowment Foundation found that the effect of reducing class sizes on educational attainment is low, compared to the high cost of doing so. Internationally, John Hattie’s work ranks reducing class sizes at 186 out of 250 influences on pupil achievement.

Despite an increase of nearly 850,000 pupils in state funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, average class sizes remain low. In secondary schools, the average is 22.3 pupils. Further information regarding average class sizes is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 (full time equivalent) working in state funded schools across the country. This is over 24,000 more than in 2010. The Department wants to continue to attract, retain and develop highly skilled teachers to inspire the next generation.

The Department has set out a range of measures to make teaching an increasingly attractive profession, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing for those starting teacher training in the 2023/24 academic year.

In addition, through the Levelling Up Premium, specialist teachers in the first 5 years of their career will be able to receive up to £3,000 tax free each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25, if they work in a disadvantaged school.

The Department has made good progress towards raising starting salaries to £30,000, with all new teachers to earn at least £28,000 from September 2023, which is an uplift of 8.9%, alongside a 5% pay award for more experienced teachers and leaders.

Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality, and the Department is taking action to support teachers to stay in the profession. The Department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, working with the profession to understand and address longstanding issues around marking, planning and data management.

The Department’s School workload reduction toolkit, developed alongside head teachers, is a helpful resource for schools to review and reduce workload. Working closely with schools and Trusts, the Department has added new resources to the toolkit to ensure it remains relevant. Further details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit.

The Department encourages schools to sign up to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter to build a shared commitment to promoting staff wellbeing. The charter sets out commitments from the Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff, including an explicit commitment to continue to support schools to drive down unnecessary workload.

It is up to schools to decide on class sizes that are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential. The exception to this is in infant classrooms, where there is a statutory limit of 30 pupils in each class, with some legal exemptions.

The assessment of the evidence by the Education Endowment Foundation found that the impact of reducing class sizes on educational attainment is low compared to the high cost of doing so. Internationally, John Hattie’s work ranks reducing class sizes at 186 out of 250 influences on pupil achievement.

Despite an increase of nearly 850,000 pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools since 2010, average class sizes remain low. In secondary schools, the average is 22.3 pupils, whilst the average primary class has remained stable at 26.6 pupils. The average size of an infant class is 26.7. This is slightly higher than in January 2021, when the average was 26.6, but lower than it has been over the course of the last decade. Further information about average class sizes can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The department does not hold figures on class sizes for dates throughout the year. Class size is recorded annually on the January school census day and is regarded as a representative sample of class size. The figures are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The table below shows the average primary and secondary class sizes for the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, the London Borough of Bexley, Greater London and England and for the 2021/22 academic year.

The department does not hold figures on class sizes for dates throughout the year. Class size is recorded annually on the January school census day and is regarded as a representative sample of class size. The figures are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The table below shows the average primary and secondary class sizes for the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, the London Borough of Bexley, Greater London and England and for the 2021/22 academic year.

The average class size in Burton in January 2019 and January 2022 are as follows:

Data on class size is available at school level within the schools, pupils and their characteristics national statistics publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

This data contains the parliamentary constituency of each school which can then be aggregated to parliamentary constituency level.

The average class size in Burton in January 2019 and January 2022 are as follows:

Data on class size is available at school level within the schools, pupils and their characteristics national statistics publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

This data contains the parliamentary constituency of each school which can then be aggregated to parliamentary constituency level.

The department publishes annual figures on average class sizes in state-funded schools in England. The data is from the January school census and is published in ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

The attachment gives averages for primary and secondary class sizes for schools in Coventry North East from the 2017/18 academic year to the 2021/22 academic year. The department has calculated the figures from the published school level underlying data. The following link is for a table showing comparable figures for Coventry, the West Midlands and England over the same period: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e65ecbc6-9bbd-419e-8641-0abc370c7508.

The department does not hold figures on class sizes for dates throughout the year. Class size is collected annually on January school census day and regarded as a representative sample of class size. The attached tables give average primary and secondary school class sizes as of January 2019 and 2022 for schools in the constituencies listed. We do not hold the data at constituency level for 1997 or 2010.

The department does not hold figures on class sizes for dates throughout the year. Class size is collected annually on January school census day and regarded as a representative sample of class size. The attached tables give average primary and secondary school class sizes as of January 2019 and 2022 for schools in the constituencies listed. We do not hold the data at constituency level for 1997 or 2010.

The government has no plans to alter legislation on class sizes. Evidence does not show that smaller classes in the junior and secondary phases of education have an impact on attainment outcomes. Research has shown that smaller class sizes in the early years of school have a modest positive impact on attainment and behaviour. As such, legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per teacher. Whilst there are limited exceptions to this rule, the average size of an infant class is 26.9 – well below the statutory limit.

The average size of all primary classes, including for infants, remains stable at 27.0 pupils, despite an increase of almost 800,000 pupils in the system since 2010.

There is no statutory limit to the size of secondary classes. It is up to secondary schools to decide on the organisation of such classes based on local needs and circumstances, ensuring they are consistent with raising attainment and helping pupils to achieve their potential. Average secondary class size remains low at only 22.0 pupils.

During this period of national lockdown, schools should only allow vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to attend face-to-face education. Every school will have a different number of children who need to attend. It is important that on site provision is provided for these pupils, there is no limit to the numbers of these pupils who may attend, and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.

On 7 January, the Department published further guidance which sets out what all schools will need to do during the COVID-19 outbreak from January 2021. This includes the system of controls which schools must continue adopt to the fullest extent possible to reduce risks in their school and create an inherently safer environment. The guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf.

Schools should continue to minimise contact between individuals and maintain social distancing wherever possible. This can be achieved through keeping groups separate and by maintaining the distance between individuals. Whilst schools are attended by vulnerable children and the children of critical workers only, where possible schools should keep group sizes small. Any additional space available where there are lower numbers of pupils attending should be used wherever possible to maximise the distance between pupils and between staff and other people.

We welcome the Association of College’s recent report on post-16 provision, 'The impact of competition in post-16 education & training', and note the proposals for longer-term reform to the sector, including class size targets, a single commissioning and regulatory process, and education hubs.

We will set out our future plans for post-16 education providers in the soon to be published Further Education White Paper.

In developing our proposals for the White Paper, we have engaged extensively with the Association and other representative bodies and look forward to continuing to do so over the coming months. In the meantime, we are most grateful for the work they have done, and we share their commitment to reform to improve post-16 education.

Average class size statistics are contained in the National Statistics release ‘Schools pupils and their characteristics’ and available at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

In the 'Download associated files' section, the file ‘Class sizes – state-funded primary and secondary schools’ has this information at national, regional and local authority level. The file ‘school level underlying data – class sizes’ has school level information that can be filtered at parliamentary constituency level. The release also has a function to create bespoke tables. For convenience, this link provides a table for Coventry, the West Midlands and England: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3576031b-f586-4e21-8f12-f4650fe80205.

On 2 July, we published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Ensuring that pupils, staff and other adults do not come into the school if they COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive in at least the last 10 days, and ensuring anyone developing those symptoms during the school day is sent home, are essential actions to reduce the risk in schools and further drive down transmission of COVID-19.

Schools can continue to use supply teachers and other supply staff during this period as required. Schools may also need to alter the way in which they deploy their staff and use existing staff more flexibly.

Legislation in England limits infant class sizes to a maximum of 30 children per school teacher. There is no statutory limit for class sizes for older primary and secondary pupils. The organisation of classes is for the school to decide, based on local needs and circumstances.

On 2 July, the Department published guidance to help schools prepare for all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full time from the beginning of the autumn term. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

The guidance, which was developed working closely with Public Health England, sets out a range of protective measures which, when implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. Measures include minimising contacts between groups and maintaining distance where possible, encouraging regular handwashing, and enhanced cleaning.

The overarching principle schools will be applying is to reduce the number of contacts between children and staff. This can be achieved through keeping groups separate and through maintaining the distance between individuals. These are not alternative options and both measures will help, but the balance between them will change depending on children’s ability to distance, the layout of the school, and the feasibility of keeping distinct groups separate whilst offering a broad curriculum (especially at secondary). It is for schools to decide, but it is likely that for younger children the emphasis is on separating groups and for older children it is on distancing.

Class sizes can now return to normal and spaces used by more than one class or group can be cleaned between use. Schools can look to maximise the use of their site and any associated available space, such as rooms in an associated place of worship for schools with a religious character, if feasible.

There cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach where the system of controls describes every scenario. Head teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their schools and communities, and to make informed judgments about how to balance delivering a broad and balanced curriculum with the measures needed to manage risk.