Nursery World - Schools' job losses counted

An independent report has found that more than 20,000 primary and secondary school staff have lost their jobs in England and Wales in the current academic year as a result of budget settlements that were worse than last year's. The report, The reality of school staffing, by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Liverpool University, said that almost a quarter of primary schools and a third of secondary schools had cut their number of staff, losing an estimated 12,300 support staff and 8,800 teachers. Most of the support staff (86.4 per cent) were teaching assistants, but they also included clerical assistants, technicians, librarians and school meals staff.

The report, The reality of school staffing, by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Liverpool University, said that almost a quarter of primary schools and a third of secondary schools had cut their number of staff, losing an estimated 12,300 support staff and 8,800 teachers. Most of the support staff (86.4 per cent) were teaching assistants, but they also included clerical assistants, technicians, librarians and school meals staff.

The researchers expressed surprise at the number of support staff losing their jobs 'at a time when they might have been expected to have increased to take a number of tasks off the shoulders of teachers from September 2003' as a result of the workload agreement. Ten times as many support staff were going from primary schools as secondary schools, reflecting their greater role at primary level.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included