Class size of 70 is "perfectly acceptable" - Schools Minister

[Morris Onions]

A schools minister was yesterday heckled by teachers after he backed larger class sizes and suggested that it could be "perfectly acceptable" to teach maths to pupils in classes of up to 70.

Jim Knight, was jeered at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference in Torquay after using his speech to advocate teaching classes of up to 38. He went on to say he had seen successful maths classes of up to 70 children with the aid of teaching assistants.

The government is planning a national scheme of one-to-one tutoring for primary pupils struggling in reading and maths and promising greater "personalisation" of teaching. Opposition MPs accused Knight of undermining his government's own policy with his comments.

Questioned by one delegate yesterday about how teachers could be expected to teach classes of 38 pupils well, Knight replied that classroom assistants could help make large classes "manageable".

"Class sizes are obviously something we take seriously. If they are growing to the extent that the delegate talks about then there are some concerns attached to that," he said.

"Teaching assistants and higher level teaching assistants working alongside teachers are very important to ensuring that class sizes of 38 are manageable."

The audience responded with jeers and shouts of "no!"

Knight said he had seen a "perfectly acceptable" maths class in Telford of 70 pupils working well in a large room with three or four teaching assistants. "There was good learning going on," he said.

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http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2266611,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=8

[Morris Onions]

1. Now I stand to be corrected, but I suspect that the Minister has..

never actually taught a class of schoolchildren in his life.

[non sociopath skin]

2. NuLab and Tory spokesmen both have always been faux naive about the main factor ...

... which makes private schools popular with those who can afford them.

Small classes.

The Skin

[LeftishBrit]

3. You would be absolutely right

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Knight

Knight's pre-Parliamentary career was apparently in the management of arts centres. He himself attended a private school (nothing against him, but may contribute to his lack of knowledge about state education).

[LeftishBrit]

4. In Finland the maximum class size is 20...

but obviously this could have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the fact that their pupils perform much better than ours.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Anyone who doesn't know that there's a QUALITATIVE difference between

a class of 20 and a class of 70 has never stood in front of a classroom.

In the States, one finds that the conservatives who keep saying that class size doesn't matter send their children to private schools that boast of small classes.

[non sociopath skin]

6. Exactly the same in the UK, Lydia.

If young Dave Cameron did been more upfront about what was "great" about his "great" school - exclusive Eton, way out of the League of even most Tory voters - during his Stand-Up Comedy act at the Tory Conference last year, he'd maybe have mentioned the small classes.

But the next Tory government will no doubt be equally fulsome in their advocacy of large classes for the plebs' instruction.

The Skin