Smaller class sizes help to advance children's literacy skills. This is according to a new study just published by researchers from London University Institute of Education.

In classes of 15 or fewer, children have an average one-year head start on reading and writing skills compared to contemporaries in larger classes.

The survey involved 10,000 children and more than 300 schools. It made clear the link between class size and children's academic progress - which was welcome news for the British government's campaign to cut primary-school class sizes. The most marked improvement for children in smaller class units was found to be with pupils who had previously been regarded as underachieving. The researchers, Professor Peter Blatchford and Professor Harvey Goldstein, found the improvement in reception in primary classes if they were halved from the current maximum class size of 30 children.