Head hits back in row on class sizes

The head of Shropshire's Thomas Telford School has defended its teaching methods after it was caught up in a row over class sizes.

Sir Kevin Satchwell said people had got hold of the "wrong end of the stick" over the way pupils were taught. This week Schools Minister Jim Knight received a public dressing-down from delegates at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference when he said classroom assistants could help make large classes "manageable".

Speaking later, Mr Knight said: "When I visited a Telford school I saw a class of over 70. What I saw in Telford was perfectly acceptable. There was good learning going on."

It later emerged that he was referring to the Thomas Telford School.

Shadow Children's Secretary Michael Gove said: "The Government cannot simultaneously say it is going to deliver personalised learning and then support class sizes at the level Jim Knight is talking about.

"We have seen a trend over the last few years towards bigger classes and bigger schools. That runs directly counter to parents' priorities and is not the right direction for education in this country."

Thomas Telford School opened in 1991 and is one the country's highest performers in national league tables.

Sir Kevin said its "learning environment" had been replicated in many other schools. Teaching was delivered in a variety of ways, from traditional classes to combining three class groups, each of 24 pupils, in one learning base with three teachers and special assistants. For the first 20 minutes of the session, one teacher might take the lead.

"This is a process that has been used for 17 years," said Sir Kevin.

"I see nothing wrong and it all adds up to a rich agenda and different ways of teaching, which makes it interesting for the children. I think people have got hold of the wrong end of the stick."

l Meanwhile, a Telford teacher trainer has been presented with a national award for his contribution to his profession.

Alan Fowler, 56, is director of the Initial Teacher Training for the West Midlands Consortium, based at Thomas Telford School. He received a Design and Technology Association award from BBC News technology correspondent Rory Cellan Jones at a dinner at the Royal Society in London.

This award was made in recognition of Mr Fowler's contribution to the training of design and technology student teachers.

Mr Fowler lives in Muxton with his wife Diane and has two grown-up children.