Classes bursting at the seams

Union brands pupil numbers as appalling

NEARLY 180 of Oldham’s primary school children are taught in classes of at least 41 pupils, according to Government figures.

They show the borough’s average primary class sizes are among the highest in the country, a rate denounced as “appalling” by critics.

More than 3,000 of Oldham’s five to 11-year-olds are taught in classes of more than 30 with just one teacher. This includes one class of 41 pupils — although a council spokesman contested this.

There are also three classes of at least 41 pupils taken by more than one teacher.

Bryan Beckingham, joint branch secretary of Oldham National Union of Teachers, said the figures were appalling.

He asked: “How do they expect children to get the education they deserve? How do they expect the teachers to cope?

“One of the best ways to improve our educational achievements would be lower class sizes. The NUT has a target that class sizes should come down to a maximum of 20 by 2020 because we recognise, and most parents recognise, class size is key to pupils getting individual attention and support.”

Oldham’s average primary class size of 27.7 pupils (one teacher) and 31.6 pupils (more than one teacher) are both among the 10 highest figures in the country. They compare with the national figures of 26.2 and 28.8 respectively.

There are no Government limits for junior and secondary class sizes, but infant classes for five to seven-year-olds are limited to 30 pupils per teacher.

Oldham has one infant class which is “unlawfully large”. It has not been named.

Councillor Kay Knox, cabinet member for children, young people and families said that the raw statistics did not provide a full picture, and in some cases there are good reasons for large classes — including schools with high numbers of ethnic minority pupils who need language support.

She added: “In the case highlighted as an ‘unlawfully large class’, this was as a result of the the admission of additional pupils during the year.

“The head teacher felt that it was not sensible to move pupils and classes around mid-year. For that reason extra support was put into the class.”