Staff at a Suffolk primary school have been on strike today in the first of two walkouts planned this month over job cuts.

Workers at Pot Kiln Primary School in Great Cornard, near Sudbury, were on the picket lines outside the school and then later on Kings Hill in the village to protest on Thursday, April 20.

The school is planning to axe 10 jobs, blaming an "unforeseen" budget shortfall of £75,000 and declining student numbers.

School leaders say thay Pot Kiln has more classroom assistants than other schools of a similar size.

However, public service union UNISON says that there is a high number of students with special educational needs at the school and the cuts — wiping out around 26 per cent of support staff hours — far outweigh the expected eight per cent fall in pupils.

At first, there were plans to axe nearly half - 15 of 36 - of its teaching assistants and midday supervisors, but now with still 10 jobs at risk there is a second planned strike day on Monday, April 24.

East Anglian Daily Times:

Marion Gray, a learning support assistant on strike, said: "We love Pot Kiln, we love working here supporting children learn, teachers in their work, and parents in their family lives.

“As minimum wage workers we have willingly gone above and beyond, working unpaid extra hours and paying out of our own pockets not just for special things for the children, but sometimes essentials as well.

“But we’re now being held responsible for the £75,000 debt the school finds itself in.

“We are striking today to highlight the wonderful place Pot Kiln is‚ but that will change when the jobs are cut.

"We are striking today to protect the welfare of our children who are affected by this process. We are striking today because we do not feel we have been treated with dignity.

“We are calling on Suffolk County Council to fully fund the jobs that have been lost.”

Laura Jestico, headteacher at the school, ​said: "The strike today has been well supported by the support staff.

"However, the school has been able to run today with all children enjoying a full curriculum. We have, of course missed our striking colleagues today, and will miss them again on Monday.

"The school is very happy to keep lines of communication open with Unison and our staff as we go forward into our future.

"The governors and myself are very proud of our wonderful school, and we will continue to work to provide the best education for our children, both now and in the future."

A spokesperson from Suffolk County Council said that school budgets in the county are allocated by the government.