The Weak Link in Education Smaller Classes Are the Key to Better Achievement

Summary

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HEADLINES can be misleading. The one declaring "Smaller classes do not make for better grades", demands closer scrutiny. Researchers at London University's Institute of Education claim "there is no evidence that children in smaller classes made more progress in mathematics, English or science". They are wrong. There is plentiful evidence from studies other than theirs that children of all abilities thrive in smaller classes. For example, in 2002, the Programme for International Student Assessment showed that high class sizes lead to poorer performance, and this was particularly marked where the size of the class exceeds 25. This was significant at a time when the average class size in Scotland was 25.5, compared to an OECD average of 22.

Significantly, the London University study was restricted to children aged between nine and 11. It may be that class size is less of a key factor in upper primary than for other age groups. In Scotland, the current focus, quite rightly, is on maintaining small class sizes in primary one and striving for them in both S1 and S2 for maths and English.

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The Weak Link in Education Smaller Classes Are the Key to Better Achievement

Small classes give teachers more time to cate...

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