Infant class sizes over 30 treble in five years

The figures were released to coincide with the 15 January deadline for parents to apply for primary school places for children starting school in September.

An analysis of Department for Education figures published by the party shows that 38,500 primary pupils are in classes with more than 36 children and 15,000 are now in class sizes of at least 40.

Labour also claims that the number of infants in large classes is now at the highest level since 2000, and has also trebled since 2010, up from 31,265 to 101,270 in 2015.

Figures also show that there are now 87 'titan' primary schools with more than 800 pupils, five times the number there were in 2010.

However, the Department for Education hit back and said that the average infant class size was still 27.4, and the number of ‘unlawfully large infant classes’ had actually fallen and was down 137 compared to 2009.

Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell blamed the Government’s ‘fixation’ on free schools for the failure to cope with the pressure on primary school places.

By law local authorities do not have the right to build new maintained schools, only free schools and academies are permitted to open.

According to Labour, free schools have been opening up in areas where there is no shortage of places at the expense of areas where there is a need for them.

There are also reports that schools are being forced to convert music rooms and libraries into classrooms, and build mobile classrooms on playing fields.

Ms Powell said, ‘The Government’s obsession with Free Schools, at the expense of opening other types of school, has made it harder and harder to ensure there are enough school places everywhere.

‘This approach is clearly not working for parents up and down the country, with the result that come national offer day, some families applying today will go straight onto a waiting list with no offer of any school place and soaring numbers of children will continue to be crammed into ever-expanding classes, as the only option left for many schools in many areas.’

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said, ‘This situation could have been avoided by allowing councils to build schools in areas where additional school places are needed. The Government has poured money and resources into the wasteful and indulgent free schools programme, many opening in areas where there is no need, and many providing only a small number of places at vast cost.

‘The Government must produce sufficient funding and powers for local authorities to open more schools as a matter of urgency.’

A DfE spokesperson, said, ‘Despite rising pupil numbers, 95 per cent of parents received an offer at one of their top three preferred schools last year and the average infant class size has remained stable, any suggestion to the contrary is nonsense.’

The Government has pledged to create 500 new schools in the next five years, offering 600,000 new school places.