Written question WQ88665
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
How is the Welsh Government working with local authorities to keep class sizes down in schools?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (Wales) Regulations 2013 impose a statutory limit of 30 on infant classes (subject to a limited number of exceptions set out in legislation).
The Welsh Government also has a clear policy that junior class sizes should have 30 or fewer pupils, in line with the statutory limit on infant age classes. Schools are required to ensure compliance with the infant class size limit and encouraged to meet the junior class size target whenever possible. We monitor class sizes on an annual basis.
Current published data (2022) shows that the average infant class size in Wales was 24.9 and the average junior class size was 25.8. Both figures were a decrease from previous years. Data for 2023 is expected to be published in August.