Bristol Parents Blast ‘Ridiculous Decision’ To Cut Support Staff
Families say support staff at a Bedminster Down school have been told their jobs are at risk
Bristol parents and carers have blasted a decision to cut teaching assistants and learning support assistants from a south Bristol primary school.
A message posted on a Facebook group by a worried parent alerted those in the Bedminster Down area that support staff at Cheddar Grove Primary School had been told their jobs were at risk due to school funding cuts.
The message blasted the decision by Futura Learning Partnership as a ‘ridiculous situation’.
The message said: ‘For those of you that are not aware, Futura held a meeting last week with the schools teaching assistants and learning support assistants to advise them that half or more of them will be losing their jobs and that after September most classes will only have the one teacher and no TA including reception classes.
‘As you can imagine this has really upset all staff involved, staff that have worked at that school between 10 – 26 years some of whom now have to face the reality of unemployment the same staff who have helped our families through the years.
‘Cheddar Grove Primary has always been a community school and the staff are like a family. Last year we got such a great result from Ofsted and that was thanks to the amazing staff, staff who care for our children amazingly, the extra care which some of our children may need will be gone. How can one teacher care for all the children in the class?
‘The future of our school is very worrying and we really need to stand together and fight for our TAs and LSA.
‘Some children have SEN and additional needs how are they going to cope with no extra support that they depend on for their education?’
A letter from head teacher Paul Jeffery, was sent home to parents and carers on Monday 19 May 2025, addressing the concerns that had been ‘circulating’ on social media.
Mr Jeffery updated families about the ‘challenges’ the school was facing’.
He wrote: ‘Firstly, I understand your concerns and taking the decision to reduce the number of people in our school is not taken lightly. Many of our support staff have been with us here at Cheddar Grove for a number of years and are extremely valued colleagues. For context on our current situation, over the last three years, schools nationally have suffered real terms cut in finance. While there may have been some small increases in pupil funding, these have not kept pace with the overall cost of living increases. For example, this year pupil funding has increased by 0.5% while cost increases have risen by about 2.8 per cent. The accumulation of these cuts has left all schools with difficult decisions to make; in short, we cannot afford now what we had three years ago.
‘As a result, we are in the difficult position of having to reduce staff numbers. However, the numbers circulating on social media are significantly higher than being proposed and we still exploring all other avenues. For those colleagues who are impacted, our hope is that whilst a few members of staff may need to leave Cheddar Grove, the majority (if not all) will have the opportunity to work in similar roles at local schools with Futura.
‘Many of the comments and enquiries received relate to SEND/EHCP comittments and ti reassure everyone, we will continue to provide pupils with the support they need. Our focus as a school, and that of Futura Learning Partnership is, as always, to ensure that we maximise the support for the children in our school, ensuring they continue to have an amazing education. I have always greatly appreciated the support from our families and the community and look forward to working with you to enable all to achieve their best. Finally, the re-iterate, this is a consultation with colleagues in the school and reducing staff is the last result. As such, we are continuing to explore other ways to bridge the financial gap and will keep you updated at the appropriate time.’
There are 26 schools across Bristol, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset under Futura Learning Partnership. These include Four Acres Academy, Wansdyke Primary School, Bridge Farm Primary School as well as Cheddar Grove Primary.
Further out education settings include Wellsway School, SBL Academy and Clevedon School.
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