School teachers axed to save cash (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

School teachers axed to save cash

MALMESBURY School is cutting six teachers from its staff in a bid to save money.

The school, which was praised by OFSTED inspectors following their January inspection, has blamed the cuts on government rises in National Insurance and employee pension contributions, which would cost the school an extra £300,000 at current staffing levels.

It has also lost a series of government "standards fund grants", which have yet to be replaced.

The school, which has 70 full-time staff, had a planned deficit budget of £100,000 in the last year, and was determined it would not rise, meaning that cuts to salaries, the biggest part of the school's budget, would have to be made.

The school, which moved from two sites to an all new single base school at Corn Gastons in April 2002, has also lost a "split site allowance" because of the move, which saw a brand new £12.5 million school built through a private finance initiative scheme.

Parents were informed of the decision to cut the staff by a joint letter from head teacher Malcolm Trobe and chairman of governors Keith Sharp this week.

The letter tells parents that the six job cuts will be made from September's staff by not replacing teachers who are leaving and by voluntary redundancy.

However, the letter warns that "there will be an increase in the size of teaching groups in some subject areas and most year groups."

It also warned that a decision to increase the amount of teaching time for Years 12 and 13, made last September, will have to be reversed.

Mr Trobe told the Standard: "The position that we are in means there is very little alternative, given the current financial situation in schools.

"We felt that the overall national financial picture was going to be better.

"If we continue with our current staffing levels for the next year, we would have to pay an extra £300,000 in National Insurance, pension payments and teachers' salary increments.

"However, if some staff leave for other posts in different schools, the situation can change, as fewer redundancies will need to be made."

Mr Trobe said decisions on voluntary redundancies had been made but it would be "totally inappropriate" to reveal which teachers were leaving.

He also said that the school could not guarantee that the quality of teaching would remain the same.

He said: "We are as confident as we can be that people will be able to cope with the situation, but it would be totally false to say it would not have any effect on the school."

The job cuts are estimated to save the school around £100,000.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray said: "It is absolutely disgraceful.

"The rise in National Insurance is entirely government-imposed, and so is the collapse in pension funds, which has forced the increase in pensions payments.

"To hear of a school losing six teachers is incredibly worrying.

"I will be raising this with the Education Secretary."