Up to 17,000 jobs to go in schools

Schools will have to make up to 17,000 staff redundant as they struggle to cope with budget cuts, headteachers warn.

The first comprehensive survey of state school budgets by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) suggests that about 12,000 teaching and support staff jobs will go. However, the eventual figure could be as high as 17,000.

"Heads are working hard to keep their schools in the black and protect their workforce," said Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT – which surveyed almost 1,500 heads and senior school staff.

Meanwhile, the Government is raising concerns about discipline. Behaviour in more than 1,700 state schools is not good enough, according to inspectors.