A KEIGHLEY secondary school is to make some of its staff redundant.

Oakbank School, which has about 300 employees, has confirmed five administrative posts are being axed.

Head teacher David Maxwell said: “As part of our drive to ensure we don’t set a deficit budget we’ve had to make some very difficult decisions.

“We do have a policy of not setting deficit budgets here, which I think is something the taxpayer would agree with.

“We have had a programme of looking at cost cutting in lots of different areas, and the administration budget was one of those areas.”

Mr Maxwell added that if the system for funding school in the district was more “equitable” it was possible that Oakbank would not be in the position of having to make staff redundant.

He emphasised that Oakbank was not alone, and warned that many other schools in the district are facing financial pressures.

“Over the next few years all schools within the authority will see their budgets squeezed,” Mr Maxwell said.