By Ben Russell, Education Correspondent, the Independant 22 November 2000 Pupil-teacher ratios in secondary schools are the worst for 25 years, according to figures published yesterday. Tony Blair is likely to be challenged in the Commons today over the statistics, which show that English secondary schools have an average of 17.1 pupils for each teacher, the worst figure since Labour was in power in 1975. The issue is very sensitive for the Government, which came to power pledging to cut infant class sizes to 30.
Ministers are due to meet that target, but have been attacked over rises in secondary class sizes.
Last night government sources insisted that headteachers were receiving substantial extra funds, which they could spend on recruiting teachers to cut class sizes. But Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman, who published the figures, said ministers would need to recruit an extra 5,000 teachers just to return the pupil-teacher ratio to its 1997 level. By robbing Peter to pay Paul they have achieved class size improvements in primary schools at the expense of funding for secondary schools. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, is expected to challenge Tony Blair on the issue at Prime Minister's Question Time this afternoon. Secondary school class sizes are traditionally much smaller than those in primary schools.