Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

5,000 teachers lost in one year

Judith Judd,Wendy Berliner
Wednesday 27 September 1995 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Eight hundred and sixty teachers have been sacked and a further 4,300 have volunteered for redundancy, according to the first official figures on the effects of this year's education spending squeeze.

Ministers had braced themselves for several thousand job losses but the number of compulsory redundancies presents serious political difficulties for them. The figures, compiled by the Local Government Management Board, the employers' organisation, and seen by the Independent, show that schools started this term with 10,000 teachers short of the number they needed to keep pace with the rising pupil population.

Details of the cuts come just before parents are due to march in London in protest against rising class sizes and as Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Education and Employment, is arguing the case for education in this year's public spending round.

The board's survey of 77 out of 116 local authorities found that 571 teachers were made compulsorily redundant at the end of last term and 2,880 took voluntary redundancy. If the trend is reflected in the remaining third of authorities, more than 5,000 will have gone, including 860 sackings.

But local authorities say another 5,000 are needed to keep pace with rising pupil numbers.

Mrs Shephard warned Cabinet colleagues a year ago that 10,000 teaching jobs would be lost unless more money was found for education. But the Government refused to fund the teachers' 2.7 per cent pay award.

The Department for Education and Employment said in its evidence to the Teachers' Pay Review Body last week that teacher numbers rose between January 1994 and January this year. However, teacher unions say many of those hired were part-time.

Full details, Section Two, pages 13 and 14

School discipline, page 7

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in