Reduced class size top priority for teachers

New research from the National Education Union (NEU) has found that a third of their members say reducing class sizes is the policy change most critical to improving pupils’ quality of education. This comes on the back of NEU’s finding that 89% of constituencies in England have seen an increase in average class sizes since 2010.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said the overcrowding was an “inevitable result” of government policies squeezing the sector. “The real-terms funding crisis has had catastrophic effects, including a direct impact on class size,” she added.

The research comes off the back off NEU’s pre-election campaign to highlight the funding issues facing schools. They have found that nearly a million pupils are now in classes of 31 or more – a 29% increase since 2011. In the same time period, there has been a 258% increase in the number of secondary school students in classes of more than 36.

“Parents are no fools,” Bousted concluded. “They can see with their own eyes the impact of funding pressures on their children’s education, and the reduction in individual contact time that their child has with their teachers.”

Reducing class sizes top priority for next government, say teachers (Schools Week) One in three teachers see “reducing class size” as the top priority for the next Government (NEU) Class sizes bigger since 2010 in 'nine out of 10' areas (TES)

Why should this matter to me? With the election drawing nearer, many different sources are trying to establish the priorities teachers have, and what might sway them when they cast their ballot. This research shows that many teachers consider swelling class sizes not just challenging, but an urgent issue in need of resolution. Schools may be open to hearing about potential training resources, management tools and classroom enrichment products that could help ease the burden of large class sizes while they wait for the promises of this election season to become policy.