6th March 2019 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It is a popularly held belief that smaller class sizes mean better education, but a recent study by the OECD suggests that this might not be the case. Reported on the BBC, the figures suggest that a reduction in pupils per class actually leads to lower pay for teachers and no evidence of better results. This was concluded after looking at more than 30 of the most developed countries including western Europe, Japan, the United States and Australia.
Between 2006 and 2014 class sizes fell by an average of 6% in lower secondary school education, and there is evidence to show that if all other factors are equal, smaller classes do tend to bring better exam results. However, without increases in budget, schools have to compensate for smaller classes by reducing funding elsewhere.
The OECD quantified the change in costs, and reducing each class by one student would mean, on average, reducing teachers’ salaries by more than £2,300 in more than half the countries looked at. Teachers already earn only 88% of the average full time graduate, and there is a worry that further reduction of salaries will mean graduates are not enticed by the prospect of working in education.
The survey also showed that the countries with bigger class sizes, mainly east Asia, also had the best performing students in standardised tests, which counters the idea that the smaller class sizes mean better students. It seems as though when schools need to make a decision between smaller classes or investing in better teachers, choosing the latter is the best option.