asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the number of classes and of pupils in classes of more than 35 pupils for each year since 1979.

The number of classes with more than 35 pupils and the number of pupils in these classes in maintained primary and secondary schools in England each year since 1979 is given in the table. The analyses are in respect of classes taught by one teacher on a specified period on the day of the census count in January of each year. The figures may not be representative of the pattern of classes over the academic year as a whole.