Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No.3: 2012 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 22.7 in 2012, remaining the same as 2011.

The average class size for a P1-P3 pupil in 2012 was 22.6, up from 22.5 in 2011. 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 2012

(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