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A Study of Class Size Effects in English School Reception Year Classes

(Updated)

Blatchford, P., Goldstein, H., Martin, C. and Browne, W.

British Education Research Journal, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2002, pp.169-185.

What is the effect of class size on pupils’ academic achievement? How important are
class size effects when set against gender, family income or attainment on entry? Is
the effect of class size on achievement affected by the composition of the class in
ability terms? This article reviews the existing evidence about the relationship
between class size and achievement for children in their first year of schooling. It
then reports on a three-year longitudinal which tracked 9330 children in 8 LEAs
through reception, year 1 and year 2. The reception year results are reported in this
paper, which is the first of a series that aims to provide English data on this issue.
The authors show that that there is a relationship between achievement and size of
class, which is different for different groups of children. It is suggested that this
differential effect could have important implications for educational policy.

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Contents

What did the authors set out to do? Page 3

What were the main findings? Page 4
Which other factors affect pupils’ achievement? Page 5
How was the study carried out? Page 6
How were the data analysed? Page 7
Implications Page 8
Where can I find out more? Page 9

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What did the authors set out to do?

This study was set up to answer for the first time in England questions about the
effects of class size differences on pupils’ academic progress. Using a natural, rather
than an interventionist, design the authors aimed to establish the nature of the
relationship between class size and achievement across the full range of observed
class sizes in the schools. They also sought to determine whether certain class sizes
or bands of class sizes have stronger effects than others.

The study, which began in 1996, focused on all the reception year classes in the
selected schools (click to How was the study carried out?) and involved the
assessment of children in literacy and mathematics.

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What were the main findings?

The results showed that in England there was a clear effect of class size difference
on children's academic achievement in their Reception year, whether or not the data
were adjusted to take account of confounding factors, such as eligibility for free
school meals or gender.(Click to What other factors affect pupils’ achievement?)
The particular effects included that:

• test scores decreased with increasing class size for literacy and mathematics;
• class size effects were different for different ability groupings; and
• estimated gains for pupils when class sizes were reduced were greatest for
the lowest achieving group.

In literacy there was a decreasing test score with increasing class size although there
was little apparent change between 18 and 25 pupils in the class. When the classes
were analysed in terms of the different ability groupings (lowest 25%, middle 50%
and highest 25%) it was found that in classes of 28 or more pupils there was no
decrease in score for the pupils identified as least able, whereas it continued to fall
for the other two ability bands. Also the gain from a reduction in class size from 25 to
15 was estimated to be much greater for the lowest achieving group. These findings
are puzzling. One possible explanation may be that teachers always tend to focus
their attention on the least able pupils. When, in large classes, there is very little
extra attention available, the least able pupils receive almost all of this and suffer less
than the rest of the class. In smaller classes, when more attention is available, the
least able receive proportionately more attention and thus benefit more than the rest
of the class.

In mathematics, test scores decreased with increases in class size, although there
was little change between 20 and 25 pupils. When the classes were analysed in
terms of the different ability groupings (lowest 25%, middle 50% and highest 25%) it
was found that the achievement of the low baseline achievement group continued to
fall as class sizes increased beyond 28 pupils. For the other two ability bands there
was no real change after 22 pupils. Consequently, it appeared that for lower baseline
achievers there was a larger gain effect from being in a small class when compared
to the other ability groups.

The authors made a tentative estimate on the basis of their figures that for literacy a
decrease in class size of 10 below 25 pupils would produce a gain of about a year's
achievement by age of 11 for the lowest achievers and 5 months for the other pupils.

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Which other factors affect pupils’ achievement?

The authors acknowledged that class size was not the only determining factor of
pupils’ academic progress. They recognised that home influence and parental input
as well as within-child factors such as intelligence and the ability to concentrate affect
children’s achievement. They found that there was a gender difference. Girls were
about 4 months ahead of boys in literacy on entry to the Reception Year. The authors
also appreciated that the prior achievement level of children on entry to the school
influenced their progress, as did the child’s family’s economic status, measured by
entitlement to free school meals. The authors found that children from poorer
backgrounds showed lower scores. Also of interest for educational policy was the
effect of spring/summer entry. There was little difference in the case of high
achievers, but this was not found to be the case with low achievers. As the level of
entry achievement decreased so the discrepancy between the achievements of
autumn and later entry pupils increased.
Whilst the effect of class size in the study was relatively small compared to these
other factors, the authors believe that the effect of class size is nevertheless
significant.

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How was the study carried out?

The study followed two large cohorts of children over the first three years of school:
i.e. over the years Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (ages 4-7), the first cohort started
school in 1996, and the second in 1997. Cohort 1 consisted of 9330 children which
encompassed all the Reception Year children in 368 classes. The research involved
220 schools in 8 LEAs. The present paper reports only on cohort one.

The research design involved a random selection of schools within the participating
LEAs.

A range of data were collected including:

• school entry assessment (baseline assessment);

• end of reception year assessment;
• pupil background data; and
• termly questionnaire.

The procedure used to make baseline assessments was the Avon reception entry
assessment (1996). For literacy, scores were based on 15 items in language, 18
items in reading, 17 in writing and a test of letter recognition. Mathematics baseline
scores were measured over 19 items. Class teachers were trained in the use of the
tests.

At the end of the reception year, the children were assessed using the literacy
baseline component of the reading progress test (2000) which the authors
considered to be consistent with the entry tests the teachers had carried out and
which reflected the children’s experience of literacy. In mathematics, a teacher-
administered test was devised and piloted before the final version was used to test
the children.

The termly questionnaire provided information about the actual class sizes
experienced by children and data about the curriculum, classroom activities and
group composition.

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How were the data analysed?

The authors used a series of multi-level models to explore the correlations between
achievement and class size. The input variables they used were:

• average (registered) class size;

• entry time – autumn, summer or spring;
• literacy – assessment of reading at baseline and end of reception year;
• mathematics – assessment of mathematics at baseline and end of reception
year;
• age at 1 September 1996; and
• entitlement to free school meals.
By plotting graphs of the variables against class size the authors were able to identify
which variables were significant and over what range of class size.

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Implications

In completing this digest its authors began to ask the following questions about
implications for practitioners:

• to what extent have you found that teaching assistants can effectively allow
you to manage smaller groups within your classes?

In completing this digest its authors began to ask the following questions about
implications for school leaders:

• the study found that major reductions in class sizes in the early years made a
difference, especially to lower achieving pupils - do the findings of this report
help you or your school to consider budget priorities?
• the study found that the lowest achieving group of pupils made the greatest
gains in literacy and mathematics when class sizes were reduced - if you
have specific concerns about meeting the needs of your least able pupils is
there scope for reducing class sizes to 15 or below just for that group for
numeracy and literacy?

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Where can I find out more?

A Research of the Month summary entitled ‘What difference do teaching assistants

make to teaching and learning in primary schools?’ that is based on a study
investigating the use of Learning Support Assistants to improve pupil adult ratios can
be found at:
http://www.gtce.org.uk/PolicyAndResearch/research/ROMtopics/ROMimpact/

Blatchford, P. et al (2002) Pupil adult ratio differences and educational progress over
reception and Key Stage .1 London: DfES (335/2002)

Blatchford, P. (2003) The Class Size Debate: Is Small Better? Maidenhead: Open
University Press

Reading Progress Tests (2000) Literacy Baseline. London: Hodder & Stoughton.