2 in 3 secondaries have increased their class sizes in past two years

ALMOST two-thirds of secondary schools have increased their class sizes in the last two years amid a growing crisis over places, union leaders say today.

A survey by three major teaching unions suggests 62 per cent of schools have had to expand classes from 2014/15 to 2016/17.

In York, secondary schools have an average of three more students in every class while in Barnsley, Rutland, Sheffield and Bournemouth it was almost two.

The figures come as councils struggle to cope with a bulge in the secondary school population caused by a baby boom under New Labour. The Government has already said that the increase in the number of births was partly caused by immigration because there was a higher birth rate among foreignborn mothers.

For many years, primary schools have struggled to accommodate the extra pupils – and now that problem is moving up to secondaries. The average secondary class in England contained 20.4 students according to the latest school census.

The latest data shows that the figure in Barnsley is 24.4 and in Rutland it is 23.3 while at the other end of the scale it is 16.8 in Greenwich.

Today’s research was conducted by the National Education Union, National Association of Head Teachers, the schools leaders’ union ASCL and three other non-teaching unions. The ASCL said the Government had failed to invest enough money in secondaries to prepare for the influx, with a shortfall of £500million a year from 2015.

General secretary Geoff Barton said: ‘We have repeatedly warned that schools have had to increase class sizes because of funding pressures and here is yet more evidence that this is the case.

‘It is the last thing they want to do but they have no other choice because they have to reduce staffing numbers. Larger classes mean less individual support for students and put more pressure on teachers.’

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: ‘Our children and young people deserve an education that is properly funded and resourced.’

The unions said it was striking that the five areas with the largest secondary classes have seen a rise in the last two years: Barnsley, Rutland, Thurrock, Newham and Leicester.

It is estimated there will be an extra 540,000 more secondary school pupils by 2025, up 19 per cent. Around 65,000 more youngsters are expected to join secondary schools this autumn alone.

Overall, it is thought twothirds of councils had an increase in applications for places for 11-year-olds.

The Department for Education has said that 735,000 places had been created across secondary and primary schools since 2010.

‘The last thing they want to do’