In 1997,
the in-coming Labour government inherited a legacy of rising class sizes,
crumbling schools and poor attainment. Massive investment in new and modernised
schools, more teachers and qualified teaching assistants, a phenomenal increase
in books and equipment, and a determination to raise both expectations and
standards saw a dramatic and continuing improvement in educational outcomes.
I’m pleased to pay tribute to the role of my good friend and colleague, David
Blunkett, in driving those changes.
In their
2010 manifesto, the Conservative Party promised to create "small
schools with smaller class sizes". In the Yorkshire Post, David
Cameron told us “the more we can get class sizes down the better”.
But in
2012, David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s government relaxed the rules on infant
class sizes. Now, the number of infants taught in large classes of over-30 has
spiralled by 200 per cent since 2010 – to over 93,000 children. Astonishingly,
there are more than 40,000 children now being taught in classes of more than 36
pupils.
Since 2010,
there have been big increases in the numbers of local children being taught in
lasses of more than 30 children. I know about the increases in my own area,
where Sheffield has seen a 147% increase. Parents and teachers are continually
raising the issue with me, because not only have class sizes gone up, but an
increasing number of parents are unable to get a place in their local primary
school.
But,
Sheffield’s problem is small compared to Barnsley, up 553%; Doncaster, up 355%;
Rotherham, up 688%. And both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have also seen big
increases.
At this
rate, in 5 years’ time, one in four infants – that’s 450,000 children - will be
being taught in large classes of over 30 pupils.
The
government has been quite reckless and irresponsible about its investment in
new school places. David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s Free School programme has
diverted funding away from areas of need.
According
to the independent National Audit Office report published in December, two
thirds of all of the places created by the programme have been created outside
of areas classified as having high or severe primary school need.
It’s a new
form of class war!
