Keeping primary schools safe during the coronavirus pandemic could be more difficult in the UK than other countries due to its relatively large class sizes, a report suggests.

The report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Education at a Glance, states that safe reopening of schools is contingent on maintaining a distance of one to two metres between pupils and staff.

Coronavirus: Schools forced to close after teachers catch Covid-19

OECD report: England’s teacher pay gap nearly twice OECD average

OECD report: UK slips from 1st to 4th in OECD for education spending

OECD report: Older students increasingly taught by ‘young’ teachers

“Countries with smaller class sizes may find it easier to comply with new restrictions on social distancing,” the report notes.

Coronavirus: The risk of bigger class sizes

“In the United Kingdom, the average class size at primary level is 27 students in public institutions, which is larger than the OECD average of 21,” it continues.

But it adds: “However, the need to reduce class sizes may depend on other factors such as physical space, the availability of rooms and staff, and personal decisions by students and staff on whether to return to school.”

In classrooms for pupils aged 10 and above, there is less of a difference in class size between the UK and elsewhere, with 24 students per class on average in the UK, compared with an OECD average of 23, the report says.

The report adds that, across the OECD, “governments will face difficult decisions on the allocation of resources” as they funnel money into the economy and health sector.

However, the UK has a higher than average expenditure on education, with 12 per cent of UK government spending allocated on education in 2017 compared with an OECD average of 11 per cent.