Commenting on the passing of Motion 28 at NEU Annual Conference in Brighton, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“In a properly funded education system, fluctuations in pupil numbers should be possible to absorb without putting schools at risk.
“Falling numbers should not be seen as an opportunity to cut the total school budget or to close schools down to merge with others.
“Falling rolls push schools into further financial hardship. This is resulting in head teachers having to make cuts across the board including extra-curricular activities, teachers, and support staff. No government can be proud of this, nor should any government allow it to continue.
"There are more than a million pupils taught in classes of 31 or more, this is the highest number this century. The last Labour government increased the number of teachers at the same time as the number of pupils fell. This government should honour their commitment to increase the number of teachers by 6,500 and use it to bring down class sizes.
“Education should be viewed as a national asset. Government needs to look at falling pupil rolls - not as another cost cutting exercise, but as a way to improve the education offered to children and young people."