A WINCHESTER school has told parents it needs to make savings following changes to government funding - but has stressed the quality of teaching won’t suffer.

In a letter from Kings’ School, headteacher Matthew Leeming said: “Sadly, we have now reached a point where our existing level of spending is no longer sustainable.”

Mr Leeming said that increases in employers’ pension and National Insurance contributions, the National Living Wage, plus being subject to the ‘apprenticeship levy’ has added the school’s costs, but “these new increases have not been centrally funded – we are required to pay them from within our existing budgets”.

However, the 1,680-pupil school was keen to stress it the “difficult decisions” would not affect teaching standards.

As a result of the changes, Kings’ governors have agreed to reduce the leadership team, cut the teaching staff by four ‘full-time equivalents’, postpone classroom refurbishments, increase the number pupils in each year group, and stop bus services – other than those provided by the council – which serve Colden Common a year earlier than planned.

Mr Leeming stressed in the letter that the teaching cuts would be achieved through staff retiring or moving on, rather than redundancies.

He added: “The new ‘National Funding Formula’, which has just been implemented, has helped us a bit but not enough to cover all of these increases.

“We have had a long-term plan to manage anticipated increases in expenditure, however, we have been slightly taken by surprise by the proposed pay awards to support staff (between four and nine per cent) and teaching staff (expected to be at least two per cent).

“Please don’t get us wrong – we support these increases. However, these new increases have not been centrally funded – we are required to pay them from within our existing budgets.”

Mr Leeming added: “Governors agreed that our over-riding priority must be to protect the educational experience that the pupils enjoy. We also want to look after the adults who work at the school, as far as we can.”

Ian Pickles, school business manager, said: “It is our intention to protect the teaching experience at all costs.”

Following the news, Winchester MP and government minister Steve Brine vowed to carry on fighting for school funding.

Mr Brine said: “I know Kings’ run a tight ship and am grateful for their head for keeping me updated on this situation as I do education ministers in-turn.

“I argued strongly within government for a bigger schools budget and that has happened following last year’s General Election to the tune of some four per cent in Hampshire, but the fact remains we remain among the lowest funded local authorities for school funding in the country and I will go on saying that.

“I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever been contacted by a teacher or support worker in Winchester arguing against a pay-rise.”