ELEVEN teachers are to go at schools in East Lothian, sparking fears of bigger class sizes.
Council bosses say the decision to cut 11 staff across the county is based on falling school rolls.
But parents and community leaders fear the move will lead to more pupils being taught in composite classes.
A council spokeswoman said the numbe
r of teachers would be reduced from 304 to 293 because pupil numbers are predicted to fall by 140 across East Lothian.
The council has not yet decided which schools will be affected, but Longniddry and Dunbar primaries are expected to lose out. Parents at Prestonpans Primary School have been sent a letter saying the number of classes will fall from 12 to ten in August.
Fiona Smith, 38, a day centre manager who has an eight-year-old son in P4 at the school, said some teachers were already struggling to cope with large class sizes. She said: "I'm disappointed with the structure they have planned for next year.
"I can't understand why the school has had a massive injection of money but they're still reducing the teaching level. Why are they building an extension when there are going to be empty classrooms?
"We've had a letter saying class numbers are going down from 12 to ten. My little boy is the oldest in his class so he's going to be taught in a composite class. I'm afraid the classes are going to be full to capacity."
Labour councillor Willie Innes, who represents Preston, Seton and Gosford, said many parents shared her concerns. He said: "The Scottish Government has recommended reducing classes to 18 pupils. They should be using the falling rolls to reduce sizes, not cut the number of teachers.
"If you take into account the small schools such as Humbie and Gifford, this means many will have classes of more than 30.
"Without a doubt classes are higher than average in East Lothian. We are a growing community. The falling roll next year is just a temporary stage.
"What parents say to me is that composite classes don't work well when there is a wide range of abilities."
But East Lothian Council has said class sizes are calculated according to a formula related to the number of pupils. A spokeswoman said Prestonpans Primary would gain a teacher next year, although two "newly qualified" teachers were leaving.
She said the primary school roll was currently 7544, but predicted to fall by 140 pupils in August.
At present there are the equivalent of 304 full-time teachers, but this will fall to 293 county-wide.
The spokeswoman said: "We expect there to be a slight dip in school roll. We are trying to ensure that the resources are distributed fairly."
She said the move was not due to budget cuts, although the education department has to make a three per cent "efficiency saving" this year.
"The schools themselves only have to make a 1.5 per cent saving," she said.
"But the ratio of teachers to pupils is determined by a formula. It relates directly to the number of children attending the school."
The full article contains 530 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
