Class Sizes

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average size of (a) primary and (b) secondary school classes was in (i) 1997, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2005 and (iv) the last year for which figures are available. (295424)

The requested information is shown in the table.

*Maintained primary*¹ *and state-funded secondary*^{1, 2} *schools: average class size*³*, as at January each year, in England*
	Primary	State-funded secondary
1997	27.5	21.6
2002	26.3	21.9
2005	26.2	21.6
2009	26.2	20.6
¹Includes middle schools as deemed. ²Includes CTCs and academies. ³One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Source: School Census.

Volume 498: debated on Thursday 29 October 2009