Class size cuts 'a waste of money'

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Instead, policies should focus on making sure teachers monitor their pupils' progress and constantly check whether every child understands the lessons, according to Professor Dylan Wiliam.

Prof Wiliam, deputy director of the Institute of Education in London, said cutting class sizes was not worth the expense for all but the very youngest pupils.

In research to be presented to the annual Chartered London Teachers Conference today, he argues that reducing class size by 30% gives children the equivalent of four extra months of education per year.

But it costs around £20,000 per class per year to deliver.

By contrast, "formative assessment" - in which teachers constantly monitor and respond to children's progress - can provide eight extra months of educational development for only £2,000.

"It can therefore be 20 times as cost-effective as reducing class size in terms of pupil achievement," he said.

"Smaller classes do confer a benefit if pupils are unruly, because fewer pupils in a class means less disruption.

"But as long as pupils are well-behaved, then what you can do with a class of 20 is generally possible with a class of 30."

Prof Wiliam has examined education systems in the UK and the US.