Frustrated parents at West End Primary are planning their next move after learning that nothing will be done to reduce class sizes.

With as many as 27 students in one class this year, parents have asked the Education Ministry to add another first-year class to the school.

And Education Minister Tim Smith, after visiting the school last month, admitted that it could accommodate another class.

However, he said the decision to do so depended on the "human resources and financial resources'' available.

Yesterday, PTA president Sibylle Ross said she had been informed by Mr. Smith that there would be no additional class.

"He said he cannot convince his (Education) officers that another teacher is needed at West End Primary,'' she said. "He seems to be trying. And while I do appreciate what he's doing, we cannot allow this situation to continue.

"He's suggested that we use a teacher assistant who is already at the school.

But that teacher assistant is assigned to one child who has severe needs.'' As a result of the overcrowding, parents had already taken two children of the school this term, Mrs. Ross said.

And she pointed out that the United Bermuda Party, in a newspaper advertisement on September 15, claimed the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools was "the envy of most countries in the world'' -- 12 to one.

"If this is a promise they are making, then we would like to see that at West End immediately,'' she said. "There is not one class at West End with 12 students.'' During a meeting last month with Mr. Smith, West End parents expressed concern that since the school hand changed from a two-form entry to a one-form entry facility, the Primary One class was too big to provide "first-class education equally to all children in the class''.

"The average class size in Government primary school P1 classes (excluding West End) is 21,'' they noted.

And they stated: "There is not one Government primary school in Bermuda with as many as 27 children in their P1 classes except for West End Primary School.

"Francis Patton Primary School has two P1 classes with 12 children in one class and 14 in the other.'' They also stressed that research in other countries, particularly the US, showed there was a strong trend towards reducing class sizes and a strong link between small classes and improved student performance.

One research project, called STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio), was based on a Tennessee State University study, they said.

West End loses bid It studied the effects of a pupil/teacher ratio of 15 to one on students in grades one through three, they said.

The study showed, among other things, that: Students in smaller classes showed more appreciation for one another and more desire to participate in classroom activities; Potential disciplinary problems could be identified and resolved more quickly; Greater individualisation of instruction in the smaller classes significantly reduced the need for reteaching; and Greater interaction among students helped them understand one another and increased their desire to assist one another.

"Overall findings of the project indicated a significant (statistically and educationally) achievement advantage (specifically in reading and mathematics) for students in small classes,'' the parents noted. "The most pronounced effect occurred in the first grade... Students in small classes consistently outperformed students in regular and regular-with-aide classes on all sub-scores of both achievement measures at every grade level.'' A Lasting Benefits Study also showed students who had been in Project STAR small classes continued to outperform those students who had been in regular and regular-with-aide classes, they added.

Noting that there was no reason why West End should not return to a two-form entry school with smaller classes and remain that way, Mrs. Ross said: "Parents will continue to work to have the matter resolved.'' Mr. Smith could not be reached for comment at press time.

Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher said he could not comment on the decision.