44,000 pupils taught in ‘some of the biggest class sizes in world’
● Call for tax powers to be used for education after primary figures soar
The number of pupils in Scotland’s primaries being taught in larger class sizes of more than 30 has soared to more than 44,000, it has emerged.
It marks a 40 per cent increase since 2011 and has prompted accusations that Scotland has some of the “biggest class sizes in the world”.
In 2016, the pupil census showed that 44,667 (11 per cent) of Scotland’s 396,697 primary pupils were in a class of more than 30.
That compares to 31,842 (9 per cent) of the 366,429 pupils in 2011.
It prompted fresh calls to use the Scottish Parliament’s income tax powers to invest more in education.
Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: “The SNP came to power promising to cut classroom sizes – instead it has just cut the number of teachers in our schools.
“Promises, pledges and PR stunts on education cannot hide the SNP’S dismal record on our schools – 4,000 fewer teachers, £1.5 billion cut from local budgets, super-sized school classes and a stubborn attainment gap between the richest and the rest.”
Mr Gray highlighted comments made earlier this week by EIS president Nicola Fisher at the SNP’S conference in Glasgow that teachers were “on their knees”, with low pay and high workloads taking a toll on mental, physical and emotional health.
He said: “Not only has the SNP betrayed parents and pupils with this broken promise – it is one of the reasons John Swinney was told to his
face at the SNP conference that Scottish teachers are ‘on their knees’.
“Just as ten years of the SNP has left Scottish teachers among the lowest paid and most overworked in the developed world, they have also delivered some of the biggest class sizes in the world in Scottish schools.
“Nicola Sturgeon put her top minister in charge of the education brief but John Swinney has found himself overwhelmed and is unable to explain how his misguided reforms will cut class sizes.”
Other speakers at the SNP conference highlighted school and exam reforms which have created extra work, with many teachers now thinking of leaving the profession.
Ms Fisher urged Mr Swinney to do more to tackle the issue of overwork, claiming that it was “the iceberg of the education system” because much of it was hidden.
“People think they understand the scale of the problem because they can see the tip, but unless you are experiencing it day in, day out, you cannot hope to grasp the full horror of what lurks beneath the surface,” she said.
“The contractual hours for teachers are 35 hours per week, so we know there are teachers in this country working double the number of hours for which they are paid.
“Even then, all the work isn’t done. Even if you are knocking yourself out all day, every day, you never ever get to the end of the work. That’s an incredibly stressful position to find yourself in.”
Ms Fisher said many teachcent ers were suffering from depression and fatigue.
Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government had taken steps to protect teacher numbers and increased intakes of training courses. “The challenge we have got is that there are not enough available teachers to fulfil those protected numbers,” he added.
Nicola Sturgeon has said education will be her priority in office and pledged to drive down the “attainment gap” between richer and poorer areas of Scotland.
Responding to figures showing a jump in the number of primary school pupils being taught in larger classes, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “In 2010, we legislated to reduce the maximum class size in primary one to 25, its lowest-ever level.
“Since then, the number of P1 pupils in a class size of 26 or more has decreased by 90 per from 6,896 in 2010 to 698 in 2016. We are reforming the education system to close the poverty-related attainment gap and target resources at the children, schools and communities which most need them.
“We are investing £88 million this year so every school has access to the right number of teachers and securing places for all probationers who want them.
“Our investment has enabled councils to maintain the pupilteacher ratio and halted a period of steady decline in teacher recruitment, resulting in 253 more teachers last year– the first substantial increase since 2007.”
It may not longer be realistic to describe Scotland’s schools system as among the best in the world, but its class sizes are now among the biggest.
Such a claim is hardly something to boast about, but that is the very accusation being levelled at the Scottish Government by Scottish Labour. The party points to figures which show the number of primary pupils who are being taught in class sizes of more than 30 children has soared to more than 44,000. It represents a 40 per cent spike since 2011 and means that more than one in ten of Scotland’s primary pupils are being taught in such large classes.
Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, said the numbers offered further proof of the SNP’S faltering approach to education, stating: “Promises, pledges and PR stunts on education cannot hide the SNP’S dismal record on our schools.”
What is abundantly clear is that the SNP has lost sight of one of its key manifesto commitments when it came to power. Back in 2007, the party pledged to cut class sizes between primary one and primary three to 18 pupils or fewer. The fact that some class sizes are close to double that number a decade on is simply inexcusable. In recent months, the SNP has made it clear that it is placing a renewed focus on education. If it is serious about doing so, it must address the issue of class sizes.
Large classes are poor environments for learning, and despite the best efforts of staff, children end up getting less one-toone time. They also mean cramped spaces, which create additional pressures, and if a single child were to cause disruption, every other pupil finds their learning experience hindered as a result.
It is increasingly difficult for teachers and teaching assistants to maintain discipline in such settings. Every day, fulfilling the basics of their job can be a struggle; being overwhelmed by the sheer number of children makes matters worse.
If the initial target of 18 pupils to a class was too ambitious, we need to know what the target should be. The decade-long drift means that the very issue itself has been allowed to disappear from view, yet the Scottish Government has to get a grip of this. It was a policy that found considerable support among the electorate, and it undoubtedly helped the SNP into power. We should have seen improvement long before now.