YOU rightly celebrate the reduction in class sizes in primary and secondary schools in York and North Yorkshire (June 27), but please do not forget the Cinderella at the education ball.

Class sizes at York Sixth Form College have risen.

Falls in average primary and secondary class sizes of two per cent deserve some praise, but equally we should condemn rises of up to 20 per cent or more in the size of classes for students starting courses at York Sixth Form College.

This all stems from the Government's introduction of AS Level examinations and their insistence that students should take an extra subject in year 12, while failing to provide any additional staff to take on the extra teaching load.

If the Government's policy really is to cut class sizes it needs to act urgently to ensure sixth form colleges are not excluded from the improvements.

Brian Kefford,

Eden Close,

Woodthorpe, York.

Updated: 10:32 Monday, July 02, 2001