THERE is “shock and concern” today after Merseyside school staff were told they could lose their jobs due to a “massive shortfall in funding”.

A total of 18 members of staff at Egremont Primary School in Wirral are believed to have been told last week they could be made redundant due to a “a potential restructure”, with the situation described as “enormously worrying”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Service on Wednesday, headteacher Claire Spinks said no teaching staff will be affected – and no final decisions have yet been made.

She added: “[The school] has been in consultation with Wirral trade union representatives about a potential restructure at the school since the end of last year.

“A number of support staff roles are being considered for redundancy, but no decisions have yet been made. No teaching jobs will be affected.

“During the consultation period, the school has fully engaged with all parties in order to support the staff and we will continue to do so in the coming weeks.

“Our primary focus is now, as ever, to support our colleagues, work with our parents and keep them informed and to deliver the very best standard of education to the children we teach.”

On Tuesday, a letter was sent to parents of all children at the Church Street school, which is also an academy. Written by Ms Spinks, it said: “Many schools in England are currently suffering from funding issues.”Egremont Primary, unfortunately, is one of those schools and the school is currently consulting with Trade Unions in regards to potential reductions in numbers involving the support staff here.”

The letter said the school, which has around 370 pupils, had operated with low class numbers and high staffing levels “for many years”, meaning increasingly difficult financial circumstances.The letter said: “I would like to make it clear that these decisions are not taken lightly and that we are doing everything we can to support the staff in this difficult time.

“The school has also made a number of changes to balance the budget in future years, such as the recent change to vertically grouped classes.”

It further assured parents plans are in place to ensure any job losses “do not impact” education at the school, and that it was working with the trade unions to ensure “due process is followed in this difficult time”.

The letter added: “Egremont Primary School will continue to provide enriched learning opportunities and a wide range of exciting and engaging activities across the school.

“As you can imagine, it is obviously an upsetting time for some of the staff but may I thank you in advance for your understanding and trust in the school.”

It added that despite the impact of funding, the school “will continue to move forward with an excellent, strong staff team, who are dedicated to providing the best education in a nurturing environment to meet the needs of all the children”.

Wallasey MP Angela Eagle, who met with staff last week, said she’d been told 18 members of staff were to lose their jobs – and that she was “shocked and very concerned” at the news.

She said: “This is obviously an enormously worrying situation for both parents and staff at the school and questions must be asked about any financial mismanagement and errors that have allowed this situation to arise. I would also like to know why there if there is such a massive shortfall in funding, it has only just come to light.

“I have long been critical about the lack of accountability for academies, and I am aware that there are also concerns around the circumstances that led to Egremont Primary School becoming an academy and entering a Multi-Academy Trust.

“I will be urging he Multi-Academy trust to engage proactively with Unison and the staff involved, to not only avoid the need for job losses to take place, but to also ensure that the children currently enrolled at Egremont Primary School get the education that they deserve, and do not lose out as a result of this mismanagement.”