BURY have come at the wrong end of a national schools league table, with the sixth worst classroom overcrowding in the country.

Figures released this week by the National Union of Teachers show that nearly half the borough's primary school children are in classes of 31 or higher.

Only last week the NUT's local branch secretary, Mrs Helen Andrews, was warning that imminent school budget cuts could only make matters worse.

She said that more than half the pupils would be in classes of 35 or more within a year, and that they would not be able to be taught the National Curriculum properly.

The NUT say that smaller classes would mean better results. Bury schools are looking at cuts of more than £3 million in the coming year.

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