Industry News
Warning over growing class size "crisis"
Posted on 8th April 2008
A think-tank has warned that without recruiting more teachers primary school class sizes will escalate.
The Policy Exchange has estimated that 18,000 teachers must be recruited to keep state school class sizes from rising over the next seven years.
This will mean a 20 per cent increase in the number of teachers currently being trained and it is feared that the government will have to resort to employing more lesser qualified teaching assistants to make up for the shortfall, the Telegraph reported.
Despite a government pledge that class sizes will not continue to rise, the think-tank has warned that England and Wales could be facing an education "crisis".
Head of Policy Exchange's education unit Sam Freedman told the Telegraph: "This should be of serious concern to parents."
Last month's National Union of Teachers (NUT) conference heard teacher's call the class size situation in the UK a "national scandal".
The NUT has publically called for a class size limit of 20 pupils by 2020.