There were 16 primary schools in London which had classes with too many pupils in at the start of January 2022, according to new data published by the government. One school in East London told MyLondon that it has since balanced out its class sizes, meaning the figure drops to 15 schools at the time of publishing.
Legislation states that Key Stage 1 classes, for Year 1 and 2 with pupils aged between five and seven years old, must not exceed 30 pupils – unless there are valid exceptions. In London, the number of schools with unlawful class sizes reached 16 in January, with 21 unlawful classes in total, research by the Reach Data Unit has exclusively found.
Across the schools there were 20 classes with more than 30 children, and one class with more than 36 children. The list of schools with unlawful class sizes as of January 2022 goes as follows:
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North London
There were four classes in North London primary schools that had more than 30 pupils, taking it above the legal limit for Key Stage One classes. All four classes were in Brent, North West London.
St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School – Brent
This North-West London primary school had two classes above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Gladstone Park Primary School – Brent
Another primary school in Brent had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Oakington Manor Primary School – Brent
A third primary school in Brent had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
South London
There were six classes in South London primary schools with more than 30 pupils in, taking it above the legal threshold. The most prominent area was Southwark, where there were three classes. There was also one class in Sutton, one in Croydon and one in Greenwich.
Ilderton Primary School – Southwark
This primary school in South London had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Keyworth Primary School -Southwark
A second primary school in South London had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Boutcher Church of England Primary School -Southwark
The third primary school in South London was the Boutcher Church of England Primary School, which had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Barrow Hedges Primary School – Sutton
This primary school in Sutton had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not deny this to MyLondon, though added that it was not permitted to share its exact exemption.
Broadmead Primary School – Croydon
The fifth primary school in South London with one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils was Broadmead Primary School in Croydon. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
Meridian Primary School – Greenwich
This primary school in East London had one class above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
West London
There were 11 classes in West London with classroom sizes above the legal limit, with the most in Hillingdon. Two schools – one in Hillingdon and one in Hounslow – did qualify the figures to MyLondon.
St Martin’s Church of England Primary School -Hillingdon
According to the data, this school had one class above the legal limit of 30 pupils. A spokesperson for the school said that there are no classes in Key Stage One above the legal limit. They confirmed that there are 41 children in one reception class (ages 3-5). However, they added that there are two teachers, equating to a ratio of one teacher per 20.5 students.
Hermitage Primary School – Hillingdon
This primary school in West London had two classes over the legal limit of 30 children. They did not respond to requests for comment.
Harefield Infant School -Hillingdon
This infant school also had two classes over the legal limit of 30 children. They did not respond to requests for comment.
Norwood Green Infant and Nursery School – Hounslow
This West London primary school had two classes above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. A spokesperson for the school told MyLondon: “The school complies fully with class size legislation. Any additional pupils are on roll as part of Hounslow’s Infant Centre for the Deaf.”
Brentside Primary School – Ealing
This primary school in Ealing had one class over the legal limit of 30 children, making it one of seven classes in West London to have classes over the limit.
West Lodge Primary School – Harrow
This primary school in Harrow had three classes above the legal threshold of 30 pupils as of January 2022. The school did not respond to requests to comment.
East London
There was one school in East London with a classroom size above the legal limit.
Handsworth Primary School – Waltham Forest
Handsworth Primary School in Waltham Forest had one class above the legal limit of 30 pupils in January 2022. A spokesperson for the school clarified that this figure was 31 at one point in time, with another class at 29. However, at the time of writing, class sizes sit at 30 or less.
List of exemptions provided by the government
According to the government, schools can get exemptions for pupils that would take a class size above the legal limit of 30. These are as follows:
- Children whose statements of special educational needs specify that they should be educated at the school concerned, and who are admitted to the school outside a normal admission round
- Children who are cared for by by local authorities, or who have ceased to be looked after as a result of being adopted or being placed with a family or given a special guardian, and are admitted to the school outside a normal admission round
- Children initially refused admission to a school, but who were then offered a place outside a normal admission round following an appeal, or because the person responsible for making the original decision recognises that an error was made in implementing the school’s admissions
- Children who the local authority who maintain the school confirm cannot gain a place at any other suitable school within a reasonable distance of their home because they have moved into the area outside a normal admission round
- Children of armed forces personnel who are admitted outside a normal admission round
- Children whose twins or other siblings from multiple births are admitted as non-excepted pupils
- Children who are registered pupils at special schools, but who receive part of their education at a mainstream school
- Children with special educational needs who are normally educated in a special unit in a mainstream school, but who receive part of their lessons in the class
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary at the National Education Union, said: “This inevitably puts a squeeze on individual attention for pupils. It is also further evidence that school funding is too low and some schools are having to teach their pupils in unacceptably large classes.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, added: “As any teacher or school leader will tell you, it is very difficult to give pupils the individual attention and support they need when class sizes become too large. We know that class sizes are a key priority for parents too.”
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