Schools across Oxfordshire are being forced to shed staff because of cuts in their budgets.

The Oxford Mail can name 14 schools which plan to lose staff -- either by reducing the hours of part-time staff or by making full-time teachers and posts redundant.

The schools which plan to cut staff are West Oxford School, Windale School, and Larkrise School, all in Oxford, Carterton School, Charlton School, in Wantage, Checkendon School, near Henley, Charlbury School, Witney Community School, Marcham School, Stanford in the Vale School, Aston and Cote CofE School, near Bampton, St Peter's School, in Cassington, Fir Tree School, in Wallingford, and St Birinus School, in Didcot.

Many of the staff cuts will be accounted for by voluntary redundancies.

Union leaders warned that the cuts were only the "tip of the iceberg". They said other schools had chosen to either go into deficit rather than lose staff -- thereby storing up trouble for the future -- or freeze recruitment and add to the workload of remaining teachers.

Mike Curtis, headteacher of Carterton Primary School, said: "Many schools in Oxfordshire are having to put in deficit budgets, or lose teachers through natural wastage, by not appointing anyone else or by making people redundant."

The branch secretary of the National Union of Teachers in Oxfordshire, Mark Forder, deputy headteacher of Larkrise School, has been told his post has been axed and he will have to return to teaching duties.

He said: "Schools will be short of teachers next year. It's not just because they're being made redundant, but mainly because they are not being replaced and schools are not recruiting staff they need." Secondary and primary schools are feeling the pinch, with many expected to lose teaching staff in the near future.

Nicholas Young, headteacher of Wheatley Park School, said the school would inevitably have to cut back on staff from September because of its £200,000 deficit.

He said: "The reduction in our funding was a shock. There will be staff reductions next year without question on this level of funding.

"We will use a capital sum given to us in September to help pay staff costs, but it is unfortunate because we have 20 temporary classrooms here that we are desperate to replace."

Richard Howard, principal education adviser at Oxfordshire County Council, said buildings would have to be sacrificed to keep staff.

"The situation in some schools is dire -- they are not crying wolf.

"We are in such a mess the council is forced to say 'let your roof leak to keep a teacher' which I think is very worrying."

Brenda Williams, secretary of the Council of Oxfordshire Teachers' Associations, said county council criteria meant young teachers were most at risk of redundancy.

She said: "Because the criteria schools have to follow when making people redundant relates to length of service, young members of staff will have to go first.

"Given the ageing nature of teachers, that adds to the worry we've got in Oxfordshire where we don't have many people in their late 20s to 40s in teaching. Where will we be 10 years down the line?"

Schools across Oxfordshire have blamed rising pension, tax and salary costs for a drop in their overall budget.