DOZENS of teachers are facing redundancy at schools across York and North Yorkshire in the wake of budget cuts and falling rolls.

Head teachers claim extra Government cash has been outstripped by soaring bills for National Insurance, pensions contributions and salaries.

Significant reductions in the number of primary school pupils are in some cases exacerbating financial problems.

More than 20 teachers at schools in York are set to be made redundant, said City of York Council director of education, Patrick Scott.

"Some head teachers are facing very, very difficult situations indeed," he warned.

Mr Scott also hit back at "extremely misleading" Government claims that £1 million given to the authority had failed to reach schools.

He said the money was being held to allocate to schools during the school calendar for activities such as induction training for new teachers - "nothing unusual and actually dictated by central government spending rules." He said budget problems this year had been worsened by Government decisions to switch off or reduce the value of various grants, for example towards in-service training for teachers.

At the same time, primary schools in the York area had suffered reductions in incomes because there were 300 fewer children in such schools this year than last.

Ann Burn, who is York branch secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers as well as head of Yearsley Grove Primary School, said: "There is great concern in the York area about funding."

She said there had been increases in funding but these had been eaten up by increases in National Insurance and pensions contributions, and changes in pay, which she believed had not been taken into account by the Government.

Her North Yorkshire counterpart, David Evans, said he had been notified of about 30 potential redundancies across the county - at least double the number he would normally expect. Many school heads in York were reluctant to comment.

But Dean Beecham, head of Archbishop of York's CE Junior School, in Bishopthorpe, said pupil numbers would fall by 16 next year, but the school had avoided redundancy by a teacher returning from maternity to work only part-time. "We have been very prudent over the years and have carried forward something so we can cope."

Chris Wigley, head of Clifton Without Junior School, said he had avoided making anyone redundant by deciding earlier in the year not to replace a member of staff who had left.

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, May 07, 2003