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.