Headteachers 'need more flexibility over class sizes'

June 29 2010

Primary school headteachers need the flexibility to increase class sizes if necessary, it has been claimed.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said principals must be given the opportunity to take in more pupils in order to deal with the increasing number of young people aged between five and seven, the Daily Mail reports.

NAHT general secretary Mick Brookes told the publication that forcing schools to keep numbers down in classes with younger children will lead to large classes for older pupils.

"We are asking for greater flexibility within the overall parameter that there should still be an average of 30 children or less in the class," he explained.

The Daily Telegraph reported last week that primary school student numbers are expected to rise significantly in the UK over the next eight years, with the amount of five to 11-year-olds attending school increasing by 13.5 per cent by 2018.

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