Inner London pupil overcrowding doubled since 1997 - Teather

10.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 24th Feb 2005

Sarah Teather, MP for Brent East and Liberal Democrat London spokesperson, today revealed that the number of pupils in London's secondary schools being taught in classes of 31 or more has rocketed by 55% since Labour came to power, with staggering increases of almost 100% in inner London. In addition, the number of pupils in classes of 26 or more has gone up by 23%.

The Boroughs of Harrow, Brent, and Tower Hamlets saw particularly large increases in the number of children being taught in unacceptably large class sizes, with increases of as much as 386% in Harrow, 351% in Brent and 330% in Tower Hamlets since 1997.

Sarah Teather MP said:

"These figures are a shocking indictment of Labour's failure to deliver improvements for London's children. Record numbers of secondary school children are now being taught in the largest class sizes in recent history.

"How do we expect teachers to control discipline problems and teach effectively when so many young people are crammed into our classrooms? Children must be placed in environments where they can thrive. With class sizes on the increase, teachers are in danger of becoming more like football referees.

"Labour is simply letting down London's children. There are too many children who are being taught in over-crowded temporary classrooms and who are not receiving the education they deserve. Headteachers and their staff deserve all the credit in the world for their dedication and commitment in such challenging conditions."