One of the district's most prestigious schools may be forced to further cut staff numbers.

Bingley Grammar School has already lost nearly 20 members of staff, including ten teachers, this year and could be forced to reduce more in the midst of a funding crisis.

School bosses are in talks with education chiefs and union officials over its £750,000 deficit.

The school has already "naturally" shed nearly 20 members of staff this year, with a further nine support workers likely to leave by the end of December through the same process.

Philip Shackleton, branch secretary for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said everything was being done to ensure redundancies remained a last resort.

He said: "Refreshingly, the school is more than happy to talk to the unions with regards to its deficit reduction issues and any possible reductions and restructure at the school.

"They are still in consultation and we are part of that consultation and will and have brought our concerns to the table.

"Whenever schools are in this situation of possible redundancies, we immediately say "Stop recruiting".

"Governors will say this is the new structure of the school. Through that process current staff will be assimilated and if some don't fit in that is when negotiations start with what to do with them. Redundancies are absolutely the last resort."

Governors are set to unveil their plans for the future before Christmas.

A new structure for staff will be drawn up a few months later, which could ultimately lead to some redundancies.

Mr Shackleton also said the school was paying the price for failing to implement a new staffing structure for teachers, when management allowances were replaced with teaching and learning responsibility (TLP) payments in 2003.

Bingley Grammar head teacher Chris Taylor would not comment on the reduction in teacher numbers and would not reveal the school's current financial status.

But he admitted he was currently reviewing the support-staff structure to make "financial savings".

He said: "We are currently undertaking a review of our support-staff structure. This review includes all non-teaching staff.

"The aim of the review is to ensure fairness in pay and conditions of service and we will also make financial savings where possible.

"We have fully involved support-staff unions in this process and we have also taken advice from Education Bradford's human resources team.

"We are currently consulting all support staff before making decisions about our new support-staff structure."

A spokesman for Education Bradford said: "Bingley Grammar is responsible for its own staffing levels and also how it deals with a budget deficit.

"Education Bradford staff are working with the school's senior team to resolve these matters."