UNION bosses and headteachers in East Lancashire are bracing themselves for 10 per cent cut in school budgets as part of this month’s Government spending review.

Heads are anticipating they will have to ‘shave-off’ around 2.2 per cent from each of their annual budget over the next four years as part of the announcement on October 20.

But with around 80 per cent of the multi-million budgets spent on teachers salaries alone, one headteacher said he would be ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ in order to avoid going into the red to provide top levels of education for students.

And the National of Union Teachers, NUT, national executive Simon Jones said that teachers in the area were becoming fearful for their jobs as talks of the cuts loom.

Mr Jones, who also represents Blackburn with Darwen, said: “We are expecting headteachers will have to cut 10 per cent from their budgets when the Government announces its spending review later this month.

“Teachers are cutting back, they are not taking that holiday or buying that car they need because they are aware the cuts could affect them directly.

“But it is not just the teaching staff in schools, it will be support staff that will be affected as well. ”

Headteacher Paul Trickett, from Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School, Oswaldtwistle, attended a headship meeting to discuss the pending situation.

He said: “Schools will be robbing Peter to pay Paul. We have a hotch potch of buildings that were built from the 1930s onwards and each are in need of repair.

“The costs come out of the school budget and we will have to find ways of making savings but tend to the repairs as well. Our budget’s can never go into deficit.

“The overall aim is to protect the development of our pupils.”