£3m to cut county infant class sizes

Education Secretary David Blunkett announced the cash for 21 extra classrooms and 88 additional teachers in a drive to reduce the number of classes with more than 30 pupils.

York will receive £350,000 for revenue and £180,000 for capital expenditure for the next financial year.

This will fund 18 more teachers and two extra classrooms. Twelve schools will expand.

The Government announced £150m to pay for 2,500 extra teachers across the country and more than a thousand new classrooms at popular schools.

Mr Blunkett said: "This is good news for thousands of schools, parents, teachers and pupils.

"It is further proof also that we will deliver our class size pledge in virtually all schools by the start of the school year in September 2000."

He added that by the following September no infant class would be of more than 30 pupils.

North Yorkshire local education authority has been allocated £1,018,000 revenue funding and £1,470,000 for capital expenditure.

This will fund 19 additional classrooms and 70 extra teachers. Twenty-three schools will expand.

East Riding of Yorkshire will receive £720,000 for revenue and £1,099,000 for capital.

This will pay for 14 additional classrooms and 39 additional teachers.

Mr Blunkett said there would be fewer than 200,000 children in infant classes over 30 with a single teacher by this September in the country.

The head of policy and development with North Yorkshire County Council's education directorate, Bernadette Jones, welcomed the Government announcement, saying they were delighted it had accepted their arguments for 70 extra teachers.

"It will make a big difference to schools and will help pupils.

"We are a little disappointed on the capital programme, although the precise details still have to be worked out, but on the whole it's very good news," she added.

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