Class Sizes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size is of (a) primary and (b) secondary school classes in England. (82456)

The available information is given in the following table.

*Maintained primary and secondary schools: average class sizes*^{1, 2}*as at January 2006*³ *England*
	Average class size
Key stage 1 classes⁴	25.6
Key stage 2 classes	27.3
Classes in primary schools	26.3
Classes in secondary schools	21.5
¹ Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. ² Classes taught by one teacher. ³ Provisional. ⁴ Includes reception classes. Source: Schools’ Census

Final 2006 class size data will be published in September.

The information provided in this response was published in April in the Statistical First Release: Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England, January 2006 (Provisional):

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000654/index.shtml

Volume 448: debated on Thursday 6 July 2006