Sack for 80 teachers

Teachers and support staff have been given compulsory redundancy

More than 80 teachers are being sacked across Wales, new figures have confirmed.

They are among more than 200 school staff who are losing their jobs amid claims by a teaching union that education is being underfunded.

But Welsh education minister Jane Davidson rejected that, and said spending on schools was at an all-time high.

A survey by BBC Wales has found that 86 teachers and 25 support staff are facing compulsory redundancy.

A further 10 staff are taking voluntary redundancy, and 91 more have agreed to take early retirement.

The figures relate to 19 of the 22 Welsh county councils, with only Rhondda Cynon Taff, Cardiganshire and Anglesey missing.

Birthrate

Teacher compulsory redundancies

Pembrokeshire: 20-25

Neath Port Talbot: 21

Swansea: 10

Wrexham: 8

Caerphilly: 5

Bridgend: 4

Cardiff, Powys, Torfaen: 3 each

Denbighshire, Gwynedd: 2 each

Blaenau Gwent, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Flintshire, Monmouthshire, Merthyr, Newport, Vale of Glamorgan: none

Anglesey, Cardiganshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff: not available

The National Union of Teachers Cymru had claimed that more than 300 teachers could have lost their jobs by the end of Friday.

But the Welsh Assembly Government has denied that lack of funding is the reason for cuts, and said there had been an increase of more than nine per cent in budgets.

Ms Davidson, speaking on BBC Radio Wales, said in the past year there were 413 extra teachers in Wales, and 360 more in the 12 months before that.

"Class sizes are at an all-time low, and spending at an all-time high," she told Good Evening Wales.

A falling birthrate has been blamed for reduced budgets. The Welsh Local Government Assocation, said it was because budgets were calculated largely on the basis of pupil numbers.

Jane Davidson says she's made a "huge investment" in schools

Ms Davidson said this "major demographic change" had meant fewer children in the system.

But she denied that compulsory redundancies would mean bigger classes. All infant classes had a maximum of 30 pupils, and from September that would apply to junior schools as well.

Greater security

"What's terribly important is that there is more money in there than ever before and more teachers than ever before," she said.

The minister said she wanted to ensure that budgets were planned over three years to ensure greater security.

Ms Davidson said she also wanted greater transparency to demonstrate the "huge investment" in education by the Welsh Assembly Government.

One area, Wrexham, confirmed that it had received eight nominations for teacher redundancies and seventeen for non-teaching staff. Seven teachers have been granted early retirement.

Wrexham's chief strategic services officer Wynford Thomas said: "We have issued these notices in order to meet the employment requirements.

"However, between now and the end of the August the final figures could be quite different and usually are."

The Countryside Alliance in Wales said redundancies would have a negative impact upon rural communities and urged "a more visionary approach" to education funding.