A VILLAGE school near Winchester has been forced to make staff redundant because of a sharp fall in pupil numbers.

Twyford Primary School is this month cutting two part-time teaching posts and two learning support assistant jobs in order to stave off a financial crisis.

Last-ditch attempts by the school to secure extra funding from local authorities including the parish council have been unsuccessful.

The problem has been caused by the funding formula which links schools budgets to their rolls. At Twyford the number of pupils has fallen from 150 to around 125 in two years.

Headteacher Sylvia Hunns blamed the explosion in property prices for preventing many families from living in the village.

Mrs Hunns said the school was also victim of its medium size. "We are not so small that we get extra help or big enough to get economies of scale.''

She stressed that the school was still viable and that the children's education would not be affected. One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "We all feel desperately sorry for the school staff. This is not their fault. They are victims of circumstances. It is an excellent school."

Winchester MP Mark Oaten agreed there should be some form of help. He said: "The question is whether the county council could look at a transitional fund to help with a fall in pupil numbers.''