Labour's $80m-a-year plan to cut primary class sizes

Trevor Mallard

Labour has pulled another expensive education policy from the bag - this time an $80 million-a-year promise to reduce the size of new-entrant classes in primary schools to 15 children.

The party says that by 2008 an extra 1300 teachers will be working with new entrants, ensuring smaller classes. At present the ratio is one teacher to 23 children.

Yesterday's announcement was the party's second major education initiative this week.

On Monday, Labour extended the 20 hours of free early childhood education to all teacher-led childcare services, a move which will cost $53 million annually on top of the $52 million already budgeted.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard said that in addition to the $80 million-a-year cost to reduce the size of new-entrant classes, there would be a one-off capital cost of between $75 million and $100 million to build classrooms and buy furniture and equipment.

Labour says there are enough teachers in the system for the policy to be implemented because primary school rolls are decreasing, leaving an oversupply of staff.

Mr Mallard said there was evidence that smaller classes in the first year of school gave students a lasting educational benefit and laid the foundation of literacy and numeracy.

The primary teachers' union, the New Zealand Educational Institute, also said research showed that reducing the class size for new entrants improved children's learning.

A study in Britain had shown that smaller classes gave the children a chance to learn how to be students and to learn how to learn, which in turn improved their performance in literacy and maths.

NZEI president Colin Tarr said it would also enable teachers to spend more time with students, which had a positive impact on their learning.

But National Party education spokesman Bill English said Labour was merely throwing more money at education without addressing the problems of out-of-control bureaucracy and disregard for parents.

"This expensive and simplistic policy smacks of an election-year gift for the teacher unions. In recent years, we have had a glut of trainee primary teachers and a deficit of trainee secondary teachers - this policy is an extremely expensive way to make up for that stuff-up."

Green Party education spokeswoman Metiria Turei said her party supported Labour's policy, but believed it did not go far enough.

"We believe no kids in years 1 to 8 should be in a class bigger than 20."