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'Titan' schools result of more primary pupils
17 Oct 2011

Cashless catering could become vital in schools being pushed to 'titan' sizes as a result of increasing demand for places.

According to the Daily Telegraph, almost 20,000 children are now being taught in primary schools with 800 pupils or more, while some schools have as many as 1,100 on their registers.

This is a 43 per cent increase on last year and comes as increased immigration, a reduction in public school enrolments, higher birth rates and other factors cause a "desperate scramble" for placements in local establishments.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said: "Titan schools may appear to be more attractive and through economies of scale have a more effective head teacher and better facilities but that's probably outweighed by the disadvantages."

Large classes could prompt more schools to take up cashless catering in a bid to reduce queues at mealtimes, as St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon recently did, the Tyrone Times reported.