CLASS sizes are one of the major contributing factors to the type of education delivered to school children.

Achieving small class sizes is at the top of government's education agenda.

Smaller classes mean more one-to-one time available from teachers to children and better progress by students.

But for some schools no amount of budgeting or recruitment can help achieve smaller class sizes. Falling town birth rates are jeopardising the existence of small classes as year groups are forced to be grouped together.

In Darwen, St Barnabas C of E Primary School, Knowsley Road, has been struggling to keep seven classes due to a fall in birth rates in the town.

To keep between 22 and 28 school children in each class, the intake in reception classes needs to be maintained. Otherwise she will be forced to merge classes of different ages.

Headteacher Margaret Mitchell said: "The birth rate is below the rate of intake for the reception year. As class sizes go down we have to consider joining age groups. Not a lot can be done apart from forcing people to have children or encouraging people to move to the area."

Peter Morgan, director of education and lifelong learning at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said the organisation of classes is a matter for the heads, but is aware of the challenge of falling birth rates.

"There is currently a reduction in applications for admissions at a small number of primary schools in Darwen," he said. "The council has no proposals to close any schools in Darwen, but will consult with schools on admission numbers as part of the annual review of admission procedures."

Barbara Milne-Redhead, headteacher at Brenand's Endowed School, Slaidburn, oversees one other full-time teacher and a part-time teacher at the school which has 36 pupils. Their classes are small enough to provide "a cosy feel". But as in Darwen a fall in birth rates in the area could jeopardise the school's existence.

"There are just two classes here -- a junior and infants. There is a lovely atmosphere and we know each child individually.

"A fall in numbers here though would be directly related to the birth rate in the local surrounding area."

Simon Jones, Blackburn with Darwen secretary for the National Union of Teachers, said: "We recommend a class of around 24 as that facilitates the best teacher pupil ratio. Falling birth rates is a problem faced by several schools and can also have repercussions on staff employment."