A class struggle
It also explains, in part, why many Yorkshire primary schools fail to make the grade in national league tables. It can be no coincidence that there are more classes with excess of 30 pupils in this area than any other English region, with the exception of London and the South East.
Large classes are a hindrance to teachers, and pupils clearly suffer as a consequence. Yet, while Education Secretary Michael Gove will point to a plethora of policies to raise standards, the increasingly fragmented nature of schools is unlikely to make a substantive difference to class sizes.
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Hide AdWhat LEAs require is greater flexibility – rather than having to balance their decisions with the interests of free schools, and the other educational establishments evolving outside local authority control.