Oldham the country’s third-worst for class sizes

OLDHAM has the third-worst record in the country for the number of infant pupils being taught in classes of more than 30.

Figures show 2,307 of the borough’s 8,358 children aged five to seven — 27.6 per cent — are in classes above the Government’s limit. Only Tameside and Leicester have a higher percentage.

The last Labour government set the maximum infant class size at 30, but the coalition government allowed this to be exceeded in exceptional circumstances. Most classes in Oldham with more than 30 pupils are not in breach of the law.

A total of 2,901 junior school pupils are in classes larger than 30 — with 148 in classes with more than 36 pupils. The average junior class size in Oldham is 28.9, the seventh-highest in the country.

Councillor Shoab Akhtar, Oldham’s cabinet member for education and skills, said demand for primary school places had increased significantly in recent years.

“We now have a robust forecasting method in place so we can plan beyond 2017. We have started a programme to expand existing schools and build a new three-form entry primary school in the town centre. We are also putting plans in place to ensure there are enough secondary school places across the borough.”