Average class sizes have risen in 474 out of 533 constituencies in England since 2010, according to analysis by the NEU teaching union published today.
The analysis highlights 20 areas where the average primary class contains at least 28.8 pupils:
Constituency
Average number of pupils per class
Christchurch
29.7
Eastbourne
29.6
Bournemouth East
29.5
Stoke-on-Trent Central
29.4
Mid Dorset and North Poole
29.3
Sutton and Cheam
29.3
Sheffield, Hallam
29.3
Dartford
29.2
Warley
29.1
Basildon and Billericay
29.1
Ilford South
29.1
Epsom and Ewell
29.0
Castle Point
29.0
Woking
28.9
Fareham
28.9
Bolton North East
28.9
Chelmsford
28.9
Maidstone and The Weald
28.8
Southend West
28.8
Gravesham
28.8
The areas listed above all have an average class size of 28.8 or more. Across Europe, the average primary school has 20 pupils per class, the analysis notes.
Read: Class sizes bigger in ‘9 out of 10 areas’ since 2010
Revealed: The 20 areas with the smallest class sizes
Research: Class size: is smaller really better?
‘Supersized classes’: Half a million primary pupils are taught in ‘supersized’ classes
Class sizes in the spotlight
The NEU has also named the 20 constituencies with the highest average secondary class sizes:
Constituency
Average number of pupils per class
Worthing West
25.5
Barnsley Central
25.2
Winchester
24.8
Thurrock
24.7
Brighton, Pavilion
24.5
Fylde
24.4
Tunbridge Wells
24.2
Great Yarmouth
24.2
Sheffield South East
24.2
Bridgwater and West Somerset
24.1
Wakefield
24.1
Stockport
24.1
Barnsley East
24.1
Shrewsbury and Atcham
24.1
Colne Valley
24.1
Harlow
24.0
New Forest East
23.9
Gosport
23.9
North Devon
23.9
Nuneaton
23.9
All those listed above have at least 23.9 pupils per class on average, against a European average for “lower secondary” of 21 pupils.