EXTRA CURRICULUM: UK'S large classes

The UK has some of the largest primary school classes in Europe, according to research commissioned by Roger Barton, Labour MEP for Sheffield.

While the UK has average primary classes of 26.9 - the largest in a survey of 10 countries - Luxembourg has an average of 17 to 18, Finland 21, Sweden 22, France 22.9, Germany 21.8 and Italy 23.1. Belgium has maximum primary classes of 20 and Austria of 30.

The study is published in the latest issue of Education Politics, the newsletter of the Socialist Educational Association.