MORE jobs are to be axed at The Chase School, its headteacher has announced.
Richard Jacobs said concerns over school finances and the changing trend of Malvern’s population were the main reasons behind the decision to make further cutbacks.
They were outlined in a consultation document addressed to parents encouraging them to respond to the Geraldine Road academy’s long-term strategy plan.
Though the number of jobs under threat has not yet been revealed, Mr Jacobs said further cuts would be made within the next two years.
The latest cuts come after more than a dozen jobs were axed at the school last year due to ‘substantial’ funding reductions.
And school bosses have now stated recent Government announcements to create a new funding formula for schools – confirmed in the Autumn Spending Review – would not ‘significantly help’ within their timescale of plans.
Bosses have also made it clear they intend to make the school ‘smaller’ by claiming the number of young people in Malvern is declining,
The Chase aims to reduce its number of pupil admissions – the number of students coming into the school from year seven – from 270 to 240 by 2017/18. The school has more than 1,500 pupils on its books.
In the document, Mr Jacobs wrote: “The Governors of The Chase and I have recognised the need to reduce the school’s staffing requirements over the next two years.
“We will do so in a measured and considered way. Our intent is to match staffing to the needs of the school over the next decade.
“Circumstances are changing rapidly and we need to adapt to meet them if we are to be in a position to provide the very best education for our children.”
And he said, parents would already be aware Worcestershire schools were amongst the worst funded in the country and this year they had to pay significantly higher National Insurance and pension contributions for the staff.
“Recent Government decisions on a National Fair Funding scheme will not significantly help the school within the timescales that we are working within,” Mr Jacobs added.
“In addition, it is increasingly clear that Malvern no longer requires us to be the huge school of old.
“The number of young people in Malvern continues to decline and parents of children living in the outlying villages have had their freedom to express a preference for a school restricted by the recent cuts in education transport subsidies.
“The popularity of the school, as measured by the percentage of parents expressing a first and second preference for the school has remained consistently high over the past five years, but the pool from which we draw has shrunk.”
Parents at The Chase can take part in the consultation by visiting: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Time2Consult. It runs until Monday, February 8.
