Around 18 teachers and a number of support staff could be facing redundancy as part of a ‘strategic reset’ at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School which aims to allow the troubled school to build a ‘sustainable future’ over the next three years.

The news was broken to staff and parents in letters penned by Tim Haynes, the school’s chair of governors at the school and its headteacher Melvyn Roffe which outlined the reset which will see The Haberdashers’ Company acting as trustees of the William Jones Endowment, providing significant additional funds to support the school during the next three years.

The school will also benefit from ‘most’ of the capital released by the sale of property which is additional to its requirements after the move to merge the former girls’ and boys’ schools in 2024.

The support of the William Jones Endowment gives the school a three-year window in which to become financially self-sufficient and sustainable, despite a predicted reduction in pupil numbers over the coming years which means that salary costs have to be carefully controlled.

As a result, a programme of proposed redundancies affecting around 18 teachers plus additional support staff has been announced to help streamline services and reduce costs – although it was emphasised these are only proposals at this stage and will be refined and clarified through the consultation process.

“We realise that this news will be distressing for everyone working at the school, and in especially for those who are most affected by the proposals. As you would expect, we will do everything we can to minimise this distress and provide clarity and transparency as the consultation process develops,” concluded the letter to staff.

These next steps ensure the school are looking ahead to help build a sustainable future while still continuing to provide high- quality education for pupils and appropriate support for staff.