Head teachers sacked in record numbers

Record numbers of head teachers lost their jobs last year due to school closures and poor exam results, according to a union leader.

John Dunford, head of the Association of Schools and College Leaders (ASCL) said 163 of the association's members losts their jobs in 2009, up from 150 in 2008.

Dunford blamed the increase on pressure over exam results, and schools amalgamating to become academies.

He also expects more people to lose their positions because of new complaints procedures, reports the BBC.

These would give parents the right to complain about schools to the local government ombudsman (LGO).

This is, according to Dunford, the fourth new complaints mechanism in the past couple of years, all of which, he said, combine to increase head teachers' vulnerability.

Dunford said: "We have lost a lot of very dedicated school leaders who are unlikely to return to any headship after such a bruising experience."