This principle has been advocated by the Association for several years. The Association highlights the good practice which takes place in the Scottish educational system where practical class sizes have been limited for decades to a maximum of 20 in secondary schools. This maximum is imposed by law, and forms a part of teaching contracts. It is widely acknowledged in Scotland that limited class size has contributed to the sustained rise in popularity of the sciences. The Association wishes to promote the best practice in effective teaching and learning in science.
Class size has an impact on the quality of provision for a number of reasons.
The Association believes that if practical class size is above the level of 20 learners, then the factors above begin to have a detrimental effect on the teaching and learning of science.