THE new Labour Government sparked a furious row today by claiming some of Bolton's primary school children are being taught in classes of 60 - double the recommended maximum.

But local education chiefs have slammed the figures as "nonsense" and "misleading".

The statistics were given to Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly in the Commons by School Standards Minister Stephen Byers.

Today, Ms Kelly said she was demanding to know how the shock figures were arrived at by the Department of Education and Employment, who refused to name the schools involved either to the BEN or the MP.

It was claimed by the department that the figures showed the maximum number of pupils taught by one teacher in two of Bolton's primary schools.

The department insisted today their figures were right - but still refused to name the two schools involved.

Terry Piggott, Bolton's deputy director of education, said: "I have checked all 103 primary schools and the largest class size we have is 41.

"The only way I can possibly think that they have reached this figure is that we have two 30-place nurseries which take different pupils in the morning and afternoon.

"But it is total nonsense to say that we have 60 pupils taught by one teacher at any one time.

"It seems that someone in London has presented these figures in a way which may be technically correct but are very misleading.

"Even in the few classes of 40 we have, the teacher would have support staff."

Mike Chapman, who represents the NAS/UWT teachers' union, added: "I certainly know of no school in Bolton with anything like 60 children to one teacher."

Mr Byers told Ruth Kelly that there were more than 10,000 Bolton schoolchildren in classes of 31 or more.

He also disclosed in a written answer that more than 500 of these pupils were in classes of 41 or more, but the average class size in the town was under 30.

Ms Kelly told the Evening News: "I have no reason to doubt Bolton's Deputy Director of Education.

"I will be investigating the matter further to find out how the figures were arrived at because it is essential that the quality of education is the best we can achieve."

But she added: " If these figures are correct, they are shocking and bear witness to 18 years of failed Tory education policy which was geared mainly to raising standards for the select few."

The Government has also revealed that there are 95 children permanently excluded from the town's schools - 86 at secondary level, seven at primary level and two from special schools.

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