Class sizes target 'will be met'

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Council representatives have said they are "confident" they can ensure a fifth of children in early primary will be in classes of no more than 18 by August.

But addressing a Holyrood inquiry into class sizes they said it would be challenging to go much beyond this target given cutbacks in funding.

The Scottish government had promised all children in P1-3 would be in small classes and get free school meals.

But this target was lowered just before Christmas because of a lack of funding.

In December, the new Education Secretary Michael Russell told local authorities they could be less ambitious on class sizes.

We are confident that that target will be met and we will have the required number of pupils in class sizes of 18 or fewer in the forthcoming academic year Cllr Derek MacKayCouncil delegation representative

The Education Committee heard how councils were progressing with the new targets.

SNP Councillor Derek MacKay, one of the leaders of the council delegation, was cautiously optimistic that a fifth of P1-3 children would be in a class of no more than 18 children by August.

He said: "In terms of our confidence in the 20% target being reached we are, I believe, confident that that target will be met and we will have the required number of pupils in class sizes of 18 or fewer in the forthcoming academic year."

But opposition parties indicate success in reaching 20% is not much to celebrate since the Nationalists pledged that all children in early primary would be in small classes, and also have free school meals.

They have maintained the original promises were always difficult if not impossible to deliver and they reject the Scottish government's claim that Westminster has reduced funds.

General secretary of the Association of Directors of Education, John Stodter, said at times when budgets were tight it made sense to focus on children who needed it most.

He said: "It is an acknowledgement that there needs to be a more targeted approach, and that's what head teacher do, they look at the children coming in, they assess what kind of groups they want to put them in and they target the resources in order to meet those needs."

"For some children that might be 30 for other children in other groups that might be a small reading group of 5 or 6 children."

The pledge to cap pupil numbers at 18 in the first three years of primary education was made in the run-up to the 2007 Holyrood elections.

But Cllr MacKay told MSPs he was unable to indicate when councils might aim for the original goal of 100% of pupils in early primary having no more than 18 children in a class.