The Choice on education: number of infants in large classes soars & one in four at risk of joining them under five more years of the Tories – Tristram Hunt
In the latest of a series of summer interventions, Tristram Hunt MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary,will today outline The Choice on education facing the country next May – a choice between five more years of standards being threatened under the Tories, or a Labour future of high standards for all and the right priorities in education.
In doing so, Tristram Hunt will be highlighting new figures on class sizes that show:
On the Conservative’s record on class sizes and standards, Tristram Hunt will say:
“In 2008 David Cameron said “the more we can get class sizes down the better”, but as parents and pupils prepare to begin the new school year, there are real concerns about the number of children in classes of more than 30 infants under the Tories.
“By diverting resources away from areas in desperate need of more primary school places in favour of pursuing his pet project of expensive Free Schools in areas where there is no shortage of places, David Cameron has created classes of more than 40, 50, 60 and even 70 pupils.
“Labour will end the Free Schools programme and instead focus spending on areas in need of extra school places.
“The Choice on education is clear: the threat of ever more children crammed in to large class sizes under the Tories or a Labour future where we transform standards with a qualified teacher in every classroom and action on class sizes.”
Underlining the choice facing the country on education, Tristram Hunt will say:
“The choice at the next election is between higher standards and a better future for our children and young people, or more of the same from the Tories, who have damaged standards with the wrong priorities on education, allowing unqualified teachers in classrooms on a permanent basis, and completely failing to deliver for all young people.
“Labour will transform standards with reforms that will deliver a world class teacher in every classroom, the right priorities for planning school places and local oversight of schools, and with high quality technical and vocational education at the heart of our plans to transform education and maximise the talents of all young people, so that all are able to play their part in renewing Britain.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
In their 2010 manifesto, the Conservative Party promised to create “small schools with smaller class sizes” and David Cameron has said “The more we can get class sizes down the better”.
“A Conservative government will give many more children access to the kind of education that is currently only available to the well-off: safe classrooms, talented and specialist teachers, access to the best curriculum and exams, and smaller schools with smaller class sizes with teachers who know the children’s names.”
Conservative Party Manifesto 2010, p. 51
“The more we can get class sizes down the better”.
David Cameron, Yorkshire Post Q&A, 18 April 2008
But since 2010 the number of infants taught in classes of over 30 has soared to 93,665 – up by 200 per cent. There are now five times as many ‘titan’ primary schools (those with over 800 pupils) than there were in 2010.
Number of primary schools with over 800 pupils:
Number of infants taught in classes of over 30:
Sources: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2010, 13 May 2010
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218952/main_20text_20sfr092010.pdf
DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014, 12 June 2014,
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014
Analysis of Department of Education figures reveals that in January 2014, there were 40,000 primary pupils being taught in very large classes of over 36. Over a third of these pupils were in classes of over 40, and nearly half of those in classes of over 50. These figures also show 446 pupils being taught in classes of 70+.
Number of pupils by class sizes with one teacher.
Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014, 12 June 2014, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014
*Where data has been recorded for more than one large class, an average has been assumed. For example, if the data recorded a school as having two classes of 36 or more pupils, with 80 pupils across these classes, then 80 has been added to the 40+ class size group.
The number of infants taught in classes of over 30 is up by 30 per cent in the last year. If this continues at this rate, then over 450,000 infants would be taught in large classes by 2020.
Number of infants in large classes.
Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014, 12 June 2014, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014
The 2020 figure is calculated by continuing the current rate of growth, of 30 per cent.
Based on the Government’s current forecasting, there will be 1,970,897 infants in state-funded schools by 2020 (Source: DfE, National pupil projections: trends in pupil numbers - July 2014, 16 July 2014, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-pupil-projections-trends-in-pupil-numbers-july-2014). This means that if the increase in large classes continues at the current rate, around one in four infants could be in large classes of over 30 by 2020.
Another five years of this Government will see even more pressure on primary schools and their classes, with the Tories continuing to make the wrong choices on planning for school places and spending millions opening Free Schools where there is no shortage of school places.