A GROWING number of schools across the county are preparing to make staff redundant as they struggle to cope with inadequate budgets, teaching unions have warned.

The scale of the difficulties facing schools is so acute some may refuse to set their budgets and hand over control of their finances to Kent County Council.

Two grammar schools have already told staff to brace themselves for job losses later this year while around 20 primary schools have indicated they expect to make staff cuts by the end of the year, according to Alan Craig, secretary of the Kent division of the teaching union, the NASUWT.

He declined to identify the two grammar schools but it is understood one is in east Kent and the other in west Kent.

Both schools, along with the primary schools, are facing budget shortfalls caused by a combination of rising costs and a shortfall in the amount of money they have been allocated from the Government.

Mr Craig said: “There are two grammar schools contemplating redundancies but the most disturbing aspect is the growing number of primary schools threatening redundancies. The Government is telling us that the money is there for schools but heads are saying it is not enough.”

The problems of primaries were compounded by falling rolls, which adversely affected how much money they got, he added.

“You only need to lose ten children and that is the equivalent of half a teaching post disappearing.”

Schools say higher National Insurance payments and pension contributions, coupled with rising salaries has effectively wiped out any increases they have received.

KCC’s ruling Conservative administration said schools were facing an eight per cent reduction in budgets. Leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart accused ministers of misleading schools and education authorities about the amount of money they were getting. He also warned of more serious problems next year.

“Schools have lost three per cent this year but have another five per cent to lose next year. That is a huge sum and there is a major problem coming. Unless we persuade the Government [to make up the shortfall], schools are going to face a serious situation,” he said.

Although the Government told KCC to increase spending on schools by 6.5 per cent this year, it only funded an increase of 3.2 per cent – leaving council tax payers to make up the difference.

Ashford MP and shadow education spokesman Damian Green said a number of Kent schools had already alerted him to difficulties.

“A problem is clearly beginning to emerge in Kent. The Government has given with one hand and taken away with the other. For most schools, 80 per cent of budgets is staffing costs and if you need to make a significant saving, it has to be a teaching post that goes,” he added.