EDUCATION chiefs have revealed every infant class in East Lancashire has fewer than 30 pupils for the first time.

Education and employment secretary David Blunkett joined education chiefs in Blackburn with Darwen and across Lancashire in welcoming the fall in the numbers of five, six and seven-year- olds being taught in classes greater than 30.

A "snapshot" survey taken in September by the department of education and employment showed that in Blackburn with Darwen borough the number of infant school children in classes greater than 30 has fallen from 2,147 in January 1998 to zero in September 2000, and Lancashire has also seen a dramatic fall from 17,319 to just 585 across the county.

However education chiefs in Lancashire have now said there is just one school in the county which has failed to meet the government targets, and none in the east of the county.

Mr Blunkett said the government was delivering on its 1997 election manifesto early.

He said: "Smaller class sizes are supporting the successful government literacy and numeracy strategies in raising standards.

"Schools and education authorities have worked hard to meet the pledge early and I thank them for it."

Responding to accusations that the reductions had been made at the cost of older primary school children, Mr Blunkett also promised an extra £73 million to ensure they continue to benefit from smaller class sizes. Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for education and lifelong learning Bill Taylor said he was "very pleased" at the news the borough had managed to meet the targets early.

He said: "When we took over we were one of the worst areas for class sizes, but we have built between 12 and 18 new classrooms."

Coun Taylor, who said when he was at school his class had 44 pupils, added: "The evidence is the more contact time a child has with its teacher the better they learn, and a smaller class size has to be better for the children."

He also called for the government to look at reducing class sizes for pupils aged between seven and 11 after the next election if they win. He said: "It would be very nice if at the end of the second term of the government every primary school kid is in a class under 30." Susan Grimshaw, headteacher at Audley Infant School in Blackburn said it had not been easy to meet the targets but government money and help from the local education authority had been essential.

She said last year the school had classes of 35 pupils. She said: "We managed to achieve the targets because of government money, but it was not easy. There was a lot of heartbreak."

And County Councillor John Fillis, deputy chairman of Lancashire County Council's education committee, pledged the county council would meet the targets and get their number down to zero.

He said: "We have been working extremely hard with schools to make this happen and we are keeping our promises to the people of Lancashire to reduce class sizes. We are well within the target time."

County Coun Fillis said there were now just two infant classes in the county out of 550 primary schools which have more than 30 pupils, and added: "We will ensure those are done within the time limit set to us."

East Lancashire is one of just five areas in the North West to meet the target ahead of the government's September 2001 time limit. The other areas are Bolton, Halton, Wigan, and Wirral.

Picture: Teacher Di Grimshaw teaches Class Two at Audley Infants, in Blackburn, where government targets have been achieved