Delegates at a teaching union conference this Easter have complained that pupils are now too big for the furniture provided, saying they work in the “land of the giants”, the Daily Mail reports.
Teachers at the NASUWT conference warned that children could risk future health problems after being “wedged into” chairs and desks that are too small.
Teacher Fergal McGuckin told the conference in Birmingham: “The size of pupils is increasing.
“I feel like I’ve just entered the land of the giants when I walk into some of my A-level classes as someone who’s a standard 5ft 8in.”
Delegates stressed that in the 1970s, when many schools were designed, teenagers were shorter than they are now. The average 14-year-old boy in 2007 was 5ft 6ins, three inches taller than in the 70s.
Fellow delegate Elaine Paling said: “Their physical development is put at risk by being wedged into desks that are too small and made to sit on plastic chairs that are much too narrow and short backed and where do they put those feet? Usually in the aisles, a perfect trip hazard.
“There are many students past and present that come out of school with not just qualifications but likely future health issues.”
She said she thought schools might choose not to upgrade to bigger desks and chairs as it could limit the numbers in the classroom.
A new NASUWT survey of 3,000 teachers found that three-quarters said their class sizes were increasing, with most teachers reporting that this was having a negative impact on pupils’ progress.
