A DERBY secondary school is facing the prospect of making teachers redundant to offset a predicted £500,000 deficit.

A dip in pupil numbers over the past few years is being blamed for the cash crisis at Noel-Baker Community School, in Alvaston.

It is likely that up to five teaching posts and 12 support staff positions will be lost, with the school hoping to make redundancies voluntary, if possible.

Head teacher Mal Kerr said: "Savings have been made since last September but they are not sufficient to account for the shortfall.

"The governing body has no option other than to propose a staffing reduction. This is intended to reduce staffing across the school at all levels.

"We are revamping the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils and to allow for the reduced staff numbers."

Funding for schools is largely based on numbers of pupils, with about £3,000 being allocated per pupil.

This will be adjusted according to a formula which includes factors for social deprivation and free school meals.

The school, which has about 1,400 pupils, is entering into a four-week consultation period regarding the proposals.

Mr Kerr said: "Governors are being proactive about the impending budget issue and want to ensure there is no impact on the quality of teaching and learning for young people at Noel-Baker."

The school finds itself in a similar situation to that of Sinfin Community School last year, when a £400,000 deficit resulted in redundancies, mainly for support staff.

Although, several teaching redundancies were identified, most were resolved with volunteers, people leaving and not being replaced, and retirements.

Ian Jennison, Derby branch secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "We have met with Mr Kerr and the governors and have been told about the situation.

"At the moment we will keep a watching brief on the situation and hopefully there will be no need for compulsory redundancies, which we are against."

Schools, which are funded through the city council, are normally expected to set a balanced budget each year but governors can apply for a "licensed deficit" if they go into the red.

Derby City Council says it is working with the school.

Councillor Les Allen, city council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Schools are all funded through the same formula, much of it dependent on student numbers, and they must manage within that.

"There are provisions in the funding scheme for dealing with any overspend and we will be discussing with the school their plans to manage this."