The total number of pupils in super-sized classes, those with 31 or more pupils, has increased by nearly 45,000 in a single year, a Labour analysis of official figures shows.
The statistics, published today by the Department for Education, reveal that the percentage of pupils in classes of 31 or more pupils has increased in both secondary and primary schools.
A Labour analysis of these figures found that:
- There are 6,234 more primary pupils in classes of 31-35 and 2,301 more in classes of 36+, a total of 8,535
- There are 32,914 more secondary pupils in classes of 31-35 and 3,160 more in classes of 36+, a total of 36,074
- The total annual increase in school pupils in ‘super-size’ classes is 44,609
This is the fourth year that pupil numbers in super-size classes have risen, an increase of 118,000 since 2015.
Commenting, Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said:
“Today’s figures expose the consequences of the Tory cuts to our schools, with more and more pupils crammed in to super-sized classes that can only make it harder for them to learn.
“With class sizes soaring, teachers flooding out of the profession and heads reduced to begging parents for donations to buy basic supplies, it is clear that our children are still paying the price for this government’s refusal to invest in education.
“The next Labour government will increase per pupil funding in real terms and cap class sizes at 30 in every primary school in England.”
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