More than half-a-million primary pupils are being taught in “super-size” classes, a new analysis by the Labour party reveals.

Teachers’ unions blame rising class sizes on real-terms funding cuts, saying that the situation will only worsen in coming years.

A total of 542,679 primary children are taught in class sizes of more than 30 pupils, analysis of official figures produced by Labour shows. This is an increase of 8.4 per cent since 2014.

And 39,000 are currently being taught in classes of more than 36 children with more than 16,000 taught in classes of more than 40 children.

The South East and North West are the two worst-hit areas, with more than 90,000 children learning alongside at least a 30 classmates.

The number of infants children being taught in classes of more than 30 children has almost trebled since 2010.

‘Supersized classes’

Labour shadow schools minister Mike Cane said: “The number of pupils being taught in supersized classes is skyrocketing, while schools face the first real-terms cuts to their budgets in a generation.

“The situation is unsustainable. If the Tories wanted to give every child the education they deserve, they would ensure that children were not crammed into supersized classes.”

Labour is also claiming that the pressure for school places is starting to hit secondary schools, with 343,020 secondary pupils taught in classes of more than 30 pupils.

However, Department for Education (DfE) statistics, drawing on schools census data for January 2017, show that the proportion of primary school pupils in classes of more than 30 pupils has fallen slightly from 12.9 per cent to 12.7 per cent. This still represents an overall increase on 2015, when the proportion was 12.6 per cent.

‘Tough decisions’

Rosamund McNeil, head of education for the NUT teaching union, said that insufficient funding has led schools to concede - reluctantly - that they need to increase class sizes.

“This cavalier attitude by government to giving teachers an environment which allows them to teach well is deeply unfair,” she said. “It undermines the chances of children with additional needs the most.

“The government should match the tireless hard work and commitment of teachers and heads with a commitment to full funding. If the aim is for all children to do well, they should be adopting policies which reduce, not increase, the numbers of students in the class.”

And Paul Whiteman, general-secretary designate of the NAHT headteachers’ union, said: “Every day, school leaders are making tough decisions about class sizes, staffing and their curriculum, in an effort to balance budgets.

“Schools will always strive to keep class sizes at an appropriate level. But, with increasing pupil numbers and real-term cuts, it is clear that the government must act on school funding in this autumn’s Budget, or risk further increases in class sizes in the years ahead.”

The Department for Education has been contacted for a response.   

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