Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland No.4 : 2013 Edition

Table 3.2 shows the average class size for pupils in primary school. Class size data are not collected in the secondary sector as class size varies widely across subjects.

The overall average class size in primary was 23.2 in 2013, up from 22.7 in 2012.

The average class size for a P1-P3 pupil in 2013 was 23.2, up from 22.6 in 2012. As part of the 2010 budget agreement local authorities were committed to maintaining pupil teacher ratios in P1-P3. It is not possible to calculate P1-P3 pupil teacher ratios from the census data, and average class size, together with overall pupil teacher ratios in primary (see table 1.1) are considered the nearest proxy measures.

Table 3.2: Average class size of primary school pupils⁽¹⁾, 2006 to 2013

(1) Data refer to the average class size of pupils in each stage, not the average class size of single stage classes. The total average class size is calculated on a different basis than the P1 to P3 class sizes, see background note 3.6

Legislation was introduced in November 2010 to limit class sizes for P1 pupils to 25. Table 3.3 shows the number of P1 pupils by class size. Some P1 pupils may be in classes of over 25 due to the inclusion of one or more "excepted pupil" (see background note 3.5).