Wednesbury school to axe 15 staff in cuts

Fifteen workers are set to be axed at a Black Country school by the end of the summer term in a bid to save cash.

The support staff will go at the Phoenix Collegiate Academy in Wednesbury as it battles to save £500,000 in the next year.

Today headteacher Brian Heavisides said the school would be making the cuts through a mix of compulsory and voluntary redundancies and staff would leave in August.

The academy is the result of a merger between Manor Foundation in Friar Park Road, Wednesbury, and Menzies, in Clarkes Lane, West Bromwich, two of the borough's worst performing schools.

It is one of nine in the borough to have had a revamp scrapped — with £26 million worth of funding lost under the Building Schools for the Future scheme.

Mr Heavisides, who was hand-picked by Sandwell Council bosses to lead the merger, said the school is facing a significant budget shortfall and has no alternative but to reduce staff.

He said: "Staffing reductions are being negotiated and alongside a number vacant posts that we will not be filling we currently envisage up to 15 support staff posts being removed at the end of March.

"This will involve a combination of voluntary and compulsory redundancies. Additional reductions in the teaching workforce are currently being negotiated."