Byers:Classes too big

Mr Byers was speaking at question time after the publication of official statistics showing that in January, 1.3 million primary school children were being taught in classes of more than 30. That's 85,000 more than the year before.

The Opposition spokeswoman Angela Browning had challenged Mr Byers to say whether the Government still asserted there would be a "minimal" cost attached to finding state school places for children who would have gone into the Assisted Places Scheme. The scheme is being axed by the Government to release funds aimed at reducing primary class sizes.

Mr Byers replied "Those of us on this side believe that classes of more than 30 become not so much a valuable learning experience but a question of crowd control, and we are not prepared to tolerate that situation any longer. There is a rich irony in your question when today we publish new figures that show that in primary schools we now have one in three young persons in classes of more than 30. That is an increase of 85,000 on the figures for last year. We have signalled our intention to reduce class sizes. The phasing out of the Assisted Places Scheme will do that and it will provide the resources to ensure that we can deliver on our manifesto pledge."