‘I’ve worked my socks off there’: teaching assistant jobs axed at two schools

A third of the teaching assistants at a schools federation in Norwich are set to lose their jobs.

It was revealed on Tuesday that some staff at Angel Road Infant and Junior Schools, known collectively as the Angel Road Federation, had been made redundant following an announcement by Diversa Multi Academy Trust (MAT), which oversees the schools, as it reduced teaching assistant hours.

It is now understood that 15 of the schools' 43 teaching assistants have been made redundant after being told at Easter that cuts would be made.

One of the teaching assistants who has been made redundant said: "I was taken in by the headteacher and told my application was not up to scratch.

"I'm gutted. I have worked my socks off there and I don't feel everything I have done has been taken into consideration.

"I know it's not the school, it's the trust who have made these decisions.

"There are people who have been there for years who have lost their jobs and the people making the decisions have never even met them.

"I think the parents are going to be angry when they find out who is being let go, because we've known them and their children for years."

The trust is also looking to reduce teaching assistant hours at its founder school, Bignold Primary Academy, by around 30pc in an attempt to shore up its finances.

Clare Jones, executive headteacher at Bignold Primary, said the decision was due to the rising cost of support staff and reduced funding from central government.

A spokesman for the trust said: "We are following the HR process regarding the staffing restructures at all Diversa schools and the process is still ongoing."

Last week Diversa announced it was starting a new partnership with Evolution Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools in Norwich, Lowestoft and the Great Yarmouth area.

The trusts said in a statement that the partnership - which they hope will eventually become a formal merger - would provide both with more stability and opportunities amid an "extremely difficult financial climate" for schools.