Staff at a Cardiff Primary have been told their jobs may be at risk. Trade union Unison said all staff at Ninian Park Primary have been sent letters asking if they are interested in taking voluntary redundancy.
Unison said similar letters have been sent to staff by other schools in the city and elsewhere in Wales as they struggle to balance budgets. Headteachers are grappling with reduced funding and rising bills, matters which were highlighted during the recent teachers' strike and ongoing work to rule by school leaders. You can read more about that here
A spokesperson for Ninian Park Primary School, said: “The governing body is exploring several options, which may or may not include a proposal to reduce staffing levels at the school. If this was to be taken forward, the governing body would look to reduce staff numbers through voluntary redundancies and looking at temporary contracts.
“We are in the early stages of planning for next financial year, and as the school’s workforce might be an area that the governing body considers changing, the school has started to speak to staff and trade unions in order to keep them informed and up-to-date, and to be as open and as transparent as possible.
“Planning discussions will continue over the coming months as the governing body and the school’s Senior Leadership Team works towards finalising its business plan for the next financial year.” Sign up to our Cardiff newsletter for the latest city news here
Council papers show 24.8 full-time equivalent members of staff work at Ninian Park Primary. Sara Allen, chair of Unison Cymru Wales school support staff forum, said: “Schools across Wales are having to address budget constraints and funding shortfalls. We are supporting members at this school and many others through this process.
“It is vital our schools are properly funded. Key to this would be for the UK government to provide additional money for fair pay rises for all school staff, so they do not have to be found from existing strained council budgets.”
Unions, headteachers and staff have been warning for months that lack of funds will lead to redundancies and larger class sizes at schools across Wales. The Welsh Government has promised to fully fund the latest teacher pay offer but there are concerns, including from NAHT Cymru, that the money won't be passed on.
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