COST cutting measures may see Kingstone High School lose staff members as, county-wide, schools are dealing with a low intake of new students.

A proposal, currently under consultation, advocates cutting the roles of bursar and head of Information Technology at the west Herefordshire school.

Their responsibilities would then be shared out between existing staff and outside agencies.

Teaching assistants are also set for a reshuffle, gaining more responsibility, but the number of posts will remain the same.

Steven Fisher, Acting Executive Headteacher, said the pressures being felt at Kingstone by falling student numbers are mirrored across the county's high schools.

He said: “We’re changing the way we move forward.

“We will be bringing outside people in to do some things, and to look at how we can do things more efficiently.

“This is something you will see across the county – only a couple of schools are full at the moment.”

Kingstone is currently undergoing a consultation period – due to end on February 14 – for a proposal to cut its year seven intake from 136 to 90.

The proposal was approved by governors and would come into play next September.

Although school budgets are dependent on their number of pupils, by capping the intake at 90 it will allow Kingstone to restructure its classes.

And, over the last three years (88, 75, 72), the school’s year seven intake has not exceeded the new ‘cap’.

However, Mr Fisher added that there is a hope that were numbers to increase, staffing levels would be able to follow.

The consultation over staffing is also set to conclude in February.