Labour pledges to cap school class sizes

The Labour Party is promising to cap class sizes at 30 pupils across all schools in England if it wins the General Election.

Extending a commitment in its manifesto to limit classes to this size at all primary schools, the party said it would fulfil the pledge by recruiting nearly 20,000 extra teachers over five years, a pledge made by the Liberal Democrats at the start of election campaigning.

Liberal Democrat Education Spokeswoman Layla Moran accused the Labour Party of trying to 'copy' them, but added that Labour had 'no hope of meeting this target'.

Labour's Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said the recruitment would be funded from an extra £25 billion in schools spending over the next three years, with the party having also committed to ensuring all teachers have formal teaching qualifications within five years. The pledges have been labelled by the party as having the potential to 'transform education standards in this country for every child'.

The National Association of Head Teachers said 47,000 secondary teachers and 8,000 primary teachers would be needed by 2024 to keep pace with an expected increase in pupil numbers.

Labour is also set to promise free, healthy breakfasts for all primary-age children as part of a multibillion pound plan to 'poverty-proof' England’s schools and boost educational standards.