More infants are in classes of more than 30

Official provisional figures from the January census show the number of teachers in schools is at its highest level since the early 1980s.

Numbers of "full-time equivalent" primary teachers were 800 lower at 196,700.

In secondary schools numbers rose by 4,300 to 211,100.

In other centres - such as special schools and units for expelled pupils - they rose by 700 to 20,000.

Infant class sizes have risen.

Posts 'cut'

This time last year many schools were saying funding problems were causing them to reduce staff numbers.

Surveys later indicated hundreds or even thousands of posts had been cut as head teachers struggled to save money.

The government admitted to having made mistakes in calculating schools' budgets.

But the official figures show that, overall, the number of teachers employed in English schools was up 1% to 427,800.

That total included 600 more overseas teachers without UK qualified teacher status, almost all working in secondary schools.

And it included 1,800 people training in classrooms.

Switch to part-time work

Continuing a trend established in recent years, several thousand more teachers were working part-time in primary schools.

The numbers in full-time employment were down by 2,800.

We have more teachers and more support staff in schools than at any time since 1981 Charles Clarke Education Secretary

This is at a time when the number of pupils of primary age is falling at about 50,000 a year.

So the average size of classes taught by one teacher in primary schools was 26.2, down from 26.3 a year earlier.

But infant classes grew from 25.5 to 25.7. And 1.5% of youngsters, more than 23,000, were in classes of more than 30 - the limit set by Labour when it took office.

More support staff

The Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, said: "We have more teachers and more support staff in schools than at any time since 1981.

"Today's figures continue the trend of significant increases in teacher and support staff numbers since 1997.

"I of course accept that a number of schools in certain areas of the country faced difficulties last year, but today's figures confirm that the measures we have introduced to restore stability and certainty to school budgets are addressing this.

"They also categorically prove that last summer's partial surveys predicting mass teacher and support staff redundancies were wrong."

The number of teaching assistants - reckoned across all types of school - rose by 10,200 to 132,600.

There were also more administrative staff, technicians and others, taking the grand total of support staff to 238,800.

'Hollow ring'

Class sizes in secondary schools fell overall as in primary schools.

But the proportion of pupils in classes of 31 or more rose from 11.7% to 12%.

The government's decision to allow teacher numbers in primary and nursery to decline bodes ill for the future Doug McAvoy National Union of Teachers

Liberal Democrat spokesman Phil Willis said: "Record numbers of secondary children are now being taught in the largest classes in recent history.

"Claims of record spending and thousands of extra teachers have a hollow ring for many pupils and their parents."

In line with the decline in primary teachers, the pupil-teacher ratio in the sector rose from 22.6 (pupils per teacher) to 22.7.

But the increase in the number of teaching assistants was reflected in the pupil-adult ratio, which fell from 14.3 to 14.

In secondary schools, the pupil-teacher ratio was static on 17 while the pupil-adult ratio also fell, from 13.1 to 12.8.

Concerns

The National Union of Teachers has refused to sign the national agreement on reducing teachers' workloads because it is suspicious that teaching assistants will be used in place of fully-qualified teachers.

Its general secretary, Doug McAvoy, said the figures were being "spun" as a success story but concelaed "some disturbing facts".

"The government's decision to allow teacher numbers in primary and nursery to decline bodes ill for the future.

"Instead of taking advantage of falling rolls to reduce class sizes in primary there will be schools facing decreased budgets and redundancies."

The National Association of Head Teachers said the census figures left "no room for complacency".

"The statistics show the allegations that heads would ditch teachers and go for support staff to be nothing more nor less than scare-mongering," said the general secretary, David Hart.

"But the reduction in the number of primary school teachers is worrying despite the existence of falling rolls."