SNP accused of 'failure' on class size policy

Ministers have been accused of "abject failure" over a flagship SNP plans to reduce class sizes.

• Education secretary Michael Russell Pic: Dan Phillips

The row broke out after Scotland's education secretary, Michael Russell, said he would bring plans to introduce a legal limit of 25 for primary one classes before MSPs tomorrow.

However, Mr Russell was accused of abandoning the SNP's 2007 election pledge to reduce class sizes to 18 for primaries one to three.

Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "The SNP made a very specific manifesto pledge to deliver class sizes of 18 or fewer for all P1-3.

"Last year, after councils told the SNP that they couldn't deliver this policy, that target was abandoned and replaced with a more flexible 20 per cent and a blatant attempt to doctor the statistics by claiming that a class of 30 pupils with two teachers can count as two classes of 15.

"This is dishonest and is yet more proof of the abject failure of the class-size policy."

Despite the SNP's 2007 election pledge, the current legal limit on the number of pupils in each primary class is 30.

Local authorities have faced legal challenges for turning down placing requests when trying to limit class sizes.

However, subject to parliamentary approval, the new class size cap will come into force on 11 October and apply to the 2011-12 academic year.

Mr Russell is due to lay the regulations at the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.

But Labour's education spokesman Des McNulty said the government should be recruiting more teachers instead.

He said: "The announcement is the last whimper of a now defunct policy."Reducing class sizes can only be delivered by employing more teachers, not through regulations.

"Mike Russell's abject failure as education secretary to deliver on the SNP's solemn commitments on class sizes has let down parents, teachers and pupils the length and breadth of Scotland."

Lib Dem education spokeswoman Margaret Smith also hit out saying: "The SNP Government failed to deliver their flagship manifesto commitment to reduce class sizes to 18 for all primary one to threes."

EIS teaching union assistant secretary Drew Morrice said: "The regulations will bring certainty to provision across the country and avoid the post code lottery in class sizes across Scottish councils.

"But this limit is less than the Government's manifesto commitment to reduce primary one to primary three classes to 18 'as quickly as possible' and less than EIS policy of class sizes being a maximum of 20."

The education secretary said that smaller classes meant children spent more time with teachers, and said that the policy could "play a key role in raising pupil attainment and improving behaviour in the classroom".

Mr Russell added: "Councils have asked us to make sure there is a better balance between parental choice as to which schools their children attend and many parents' wish for smaller classes.

"I am absolutely committed to making sure an increasing number of pupils benefit from smaller class sizes."

Mr Russell, announced the move to a legal limit of 25 at a visit to Letham Primary School in Livingston, West Lothian, yesterday.