New figures have revealed that Britain's primary school classes are the most crowded in Europe, people seeking teaching jobs may wish to know.

The news comes as applications for places rise by more than a quarter.

According to the EU's research agency Eurostat, there are nearly 20 pupils per teacher in the average British primary school.

Kevin Courtney, National Union of Teachers deputy general secretary, commented: "Class size is important, to say otherwise is nonsense.

"Private schools do not advocate large classes and nor should state schools. While teachers do a great job, it is surely an obvious fact that if the class was smaller, the difference in the individual attention teachers could give pupils would be much greater."

The previous Labour government made reducing class sizes one of its main priorities in the education sector.

But despite the enormous investment in the education sector, it has failed to resolve the problem of class sizes.