Teaching unions predict larger class sizes will result

Teaching vacancies in England have also nearly halved in 12 months, a poll by the Secondary Heads Association (SHA) and Times Educational Supplement shows.

The government has blamed most cuts on falling pupil numbers, rather than budget shortages of up to �500,000 suffered by many schools.

But the poll of 480 head teachers, including 20 in Wales, suggests three-quarters of the redundancies and lost posts have been in schools with rising or stable pupil rolls.

'Larger classes'

SHA general secretary John Dunford said: "The number of jobs lost in secondary schools is a true reflection of the extent of the damage to education in these schools from this year's funding problems.

"Where pupil numbers are not falling this inevitably means larger classes, fewer subjects to choose in GCSE, A-levels and vocational courses and the postponement of essential building work."

Government changes to the way schools are funded, higher teacher salaries and increased pension costs have been blamed for the crisis.

The poll found 730 teachers and support staff had been made redundant because of budget problems.

Meanwhile a further 2,729 teachers and 1,152 support staff had not been replaced after leaving.

The South West of England was hardest hit by redundancies, losing an estimated 164 teachers, followed by London on 154.

This is a very partial survey, covering less than one seventh of secondary schools Department for Education and Skills

The South East had the highest number of post closures: 600.

National Union of Teachers general secretary Doug McAvoy said: "The findings of the survey are an indictment of the Department for Education and Skills' (DfES) complacency in front of the schools' funding crisis.

"The DfES got its sums wrong in providing for the costs facing schools this September, yet it refuses to restore to schools the additional money they need."

The survey suggests comprehensives have 1,880 teacher vacancies as the new term approaches, down from about 3,700 last year and 4,900 in 2001.

Shadow education secretary Damian Green said: "Parents and teachers have a right to be angry. Thousands of children will face the new school year with fewer teachers and support staff than before."

'More stability'

A DfES spokeswoman said: "This is a very partial survey, covering less than one seventh of secondary schools. It is not representative.

"Many of the redundancies quoted are unlikely to be compulsory. It is important to remember that at this time of year there are always a lot of schools making staff changes for a wide variety of reasons.

"These figures do suggest that there are fewer teacher vacancies than last year."

She added: "We have now set out a funding framework for the next two years to build confidence in the school funding system.

"We are putting in an extra �400m to reverse planned cuts in standard fund grant in each of the next two years.

"We are determined to give head teachers more stability and predictability in planning their budgets and working hard with their and local education authority representatives on arrangements for 2004-5."

The Local Government Association's education chairman, Graham Lane, said the level of redundancies was similar to that in most years.

'Doom and gloom'

Chris Keates, deputy general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, agreed.

"With depressing regularity, doom and gloom merchants gather at the end of August apparently determined to ensure that teachers return to work demoralised and depressed," she said - with the TES and SHA filling the role this year.

Her union's monitoring of the situation found "no evidence of the scale of redundancy claimed in this survey".

"In addition the level of redundancy is no greater than last year," she said.

"Some schools undoubtedly have a problem but this is by no means widespread or typical.

"However, redundancies whatever the scale are not acceptable."

The union was meeting government officials regularly "to devise strategies to address funding difficulties" with some success.