Consultation on law to cut class sizes

A CONSULTATION on a legal limit of 25 pupils for primary one classes has been published.

It follows complaints from local councils including Edinburgh that they were unable to meet class size targets when they were not backed up by legislation.

Regulations to reduce P1 classes from 30 to 25 could be in place by autumn.

Education secretary Michael Russell said: "Pupils across Scotland are already benefiting from extra time with their teacher helping to improve attainment, performance and pupil behaviour, thanks to the good work that's been done to reduce class sizes in early primary.

"Councils have told us that the current legal limit of 30 inhibits their ability to drive down class sizes.

"That's why we are consulting on regulations to change the legal limit and help councils make further progress.

"They are intended to put local authorities on a more sound footing when taking decisions regarding placing requests and help them balance the rights of parents to choose their child's school and the benefits of lower class sizes. I believe these regulations are a building block to help make sure that more Scottish pupils benefit from smaller class sizes in the early years of primary school."