Rising class sizes attacked as 'body blow to education'

PARENTS have described the prospect of primary one class sizes shooting up to 30 in dozens of city schools as a "body blow to schools and education".

Many of the city's most popular schools face class size rises after the Scottish Government admitted legislation to enforce a limit of 25 would not be in place by August.

Former education secretary Fiona Hyslop announced last September that the new law would be introduced by the start of the coming school year.

Jerry Forde, chair of the parent council at South Morningside Primary, one of the schools likely to be affected, said: "It's a bit of a disappointment because this was a much-trumpeted initiative.

"There are good scientific reasons for aiming for reduced class sizes so it's odd that they are seen as dispensable figures.

"It's a very retrograde step and it is yet another body blow to schools and education."

The move comes after education chiefs in Edinburgh complained they were struggling to enforce the 25 limit, as parents were winning appeals to send their children to schools classed as full under existing guidelines.

With the Scottish Government now admitting the promised legislation will not arrive until months after the new school year starts, city education leaders say they have no choice but to raise class sizes to 30.

Sciennes – the city's largest primary – is already struggling to cope with the pressures associated with being one of the most popular schools.

Children are being taught in corridors, eating lunch in classrooms and taking playtimes in shifts at the school, which saw an influx of pupils after a number of parents successfully won appeals to get their children in last year.

Norman Brown, chair of the school's parent council, said: "It's a disappointment and another example of the government talking and not doing.

"I don't think that the teachers can't cope with bigger classes, but the management of this number of children when they are really small highlights the fact that we need smaller class sizes.

"Increasing class sizes puts pressure on all the facilities."

City education leader Marilyne MacLaren said: "Our ongoing aim is obviously to reduce class sizes so this delay in Government legislation is an unfortunate setback.

"However, Edinburgh's education service is of the highest quality and parents can be assured that their children are going to good schools and will experience excellent learning and teaching."

NO ROOM TO STAND IN THE CORNER?

Schools set to have more than 25 pupils in P1 this year:

Balgreen

Blackhall

Bonaly

Bruntsfield

Buckstone

Carrick Knowe

Corstorphine

Craiglockhart

Davidson's Mains

Duddingston

Flora Stevenson

Gylemuir

James Gillespie's

Juniper Green

Liberton

Murrayburn

Pentland

Queensferry

Roseburn

Sciennes

South Morningside

St John's

St Mary's Edinburgh

St Mary's Leith

St Peter's

Stockbridge

The Royal High Primary

Towerbank

Trinity

Wardie