Class Sizes in Primary Schools, September 2009

Statistics on class sizes in primary schools include data for Wales as at September 2009. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 26 November 2008.

The key points from the latest release are:

Infant classes

• 99 classes had more than 30 pupils, compared to 68 in September 2008
• 83 of the 99 classes had more than 30 pupils due to permissible exceptions
• 3.2 per cent of pupils (3,119 pupils) were in classes of over 30, compared to 2.3 per cent in 2008. In 1999, 8.6 per cent of pupils were in classes of over 30 pupils
• excluding classes with permissible exceptions, 0.5 per cent of pupils (502 pupils) were in classes of more than 30 pupils – this is the same as at September 2008

Junior classes

• 172 classes had more than 30 pupils, compared to 194 classes in September 2008
• 113 of the 172 classes had more than 30 pupils due to permissible exceptions
• 4.3 per cent of pupils (5,453 pupils) were in classes of over 30, compared to 4.7 per cent in 2008. In 1999, 30.9 per cent of pupils were in classes of over 30 pupils
• excluding classes with permissible exceptions, 1.5 per cent of pupils (1,888 pupils) were in classes of more then 30 pupils – this is a decrease from 1.8 per cent of pupils in September 2008

Additional tables looking at classes and pupils by LEA are also available to download.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5059
E-mail: school.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

November 2010 (provisional - to be confirmed on the Due Out Soon page)