Three classroom posts may be axed at Great Bradfords Junior School, in Braintree to implement changes recommended by Ofsted.

Essex County Council has warned that other schools could find themselves in a similar position.

A recent Ofsted report described the school as happy and caring but highlighted the need to raise standards across the curriculum

Ofsted recommended that more time needs to be spent on paperwork and monitoring, specifically monitoring the impact of teaching plans, examining styles of teaching, looking at the every day progress of pupils and giving feedback to class teachers.

To afford to do this, headteacher Jim Couves said the school would need to find an extra £40,000 to pay for a supply teacher.

This cash would be found by axing three out of the school's 16 teaching posts.

Then the supply teacher will be used regularly to cover for heads of departments in the classroom, so they can be freed up to do the monitoring work.

He said: "The governing body has to make some very difficult decisions. We didn't take them lightly but if we are going to address the issues in the report, we have to find the money. We have no option now the budget for schools is at a standstill and Ofsted have left us with no option."

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: "Because of the shortage of funding this year and the likelihood that the situation will get worse, dozens of Essex schools are finding themselves in a similar position where they have to review and possibly reduce staffing."

Published Thursday, May 1, 2003

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