Recession forces private schools to lay off staff

SOME of Britain's most prestigious private schools are being forced to lay off teachers as redundancies soar in the recession.

Over the past year 17 independent schools have closed across the country, according to analysts from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

At least six have resorted to redundancies to cut staff costs, but the true figure could be "much higher", the association said.

Officials expressed fears that more schools will close as growing numbers of parents struggle to pay fees.

John Richardson, ATL's national official for independent schools, told the Standard it only took 10 pupils to leave suddenly to bring disaster to a small prep school. "It's not just the prep schools, it's across the country. We are seeing a lot more senior schools affected. There are two or three times as many redundancies as this time last year."

At least six members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference of 250 private schools have been forced to cut staff, he said. A spokesman for the group said it had not received official reports of staff redundancies.

Independent schools are coming under pressure because cash-strapped parents are struggling with the rising fees. Typical boarding fees at a top school are approaching £30,000 a year.

Mr Richardson's comments came as the union called for tighter rules on private schools' employment procedures. ATL delegates are proposing a campaign for better regulation to ensure teachers are protected.