Headteachers jobs in danger

Headteachers are "only one poor inspection away from their P45", the leader of the country's secondary school heads said yesterday.

Some are even being sacked before inspections as local authorities try to show they are getting tough to improve their own inspection ratings, John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told his annual conference in London yesterday.

Others are being given the elbow because their faces do not fit with the new owners of Prime Minister Tony Blair's privately sponsored academies, he added.

Figures sow the number of heads being forced to accept redundancy or early retirement deals is rising - with 54 being forced to resign last year from secondary schools at a cost of £3.4m in compensation, Dr Dunford said. The numbers are expected to rise again this year.

Dr Dunford described the pay-offs as "a waste of talent" at a time when the profession in facing a growing shortage of headteachers. Many teachers are said to be reluctant to make the step up because of the demands of the job and its vulnerability.

"Too often, ASCL members are just one poor inspection grade away from their P45," he told the conference. "Too often, ASCL members are sacked precipitately before an Ofsted inspection by nervous local authorities that have previously failed to support the school in its difficulties.