TAXPAYERS will be forking out thousands of pounds more because of teachers absent from Middlewich schools.

Figures obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act show the missing members of staff are costing £13,746 more than the previous year.

Middlewich’s sixs schools accumulated 404 supply days in 2007, costing £80,847, which rose to 473 days and £94,593 in 2008.

Over the two years, supply days in Middlewich have cost taxpayers a total of more than £175,000. The figures were divulged to the Guardian by Cheshire County Council as part of a Freedom of Information request.

John Rimmer, of the National Association of School Masters and Union of Women Teachers north west (NASUWT) said the figures were symptomatic of a national problem.

He believes all schools should have cover supervisors and high level permanent teaching assistants to prevent the inconvenience and financial burden that supply days create.

“I wonder how many schools in Middlewich have them,” he added.

“Head teachers and governing bodies ought to be able to manage without massive amounts of supply.

“That figure [473 days] ought to be brought down. These schools should have permanent measures in place for dealing with absence.

“That’s an issue and I don’t understand why it’s such a big amount in that context.”

Throughout the cases he has looked at in the north west, Mr Rimmer said teacher absence is caused by stress related illnesses, health and safety issues and in some cases, even physical and verbal abuse from pupils.

But Cheshire County Council downplayed the figures saying an increase of 69 supply days over six schools, from 2007 to 2008, was ‘quite small’.

A spokesman said: “We would not regard that as a large increase at all.

“Supply days can happen for a variety of reasons from illness and training to the workforce reform, which limits the number of hours teachers can spend supervising.”

The figures revealed that St Marys Primary School, on Manor Lane, had the biggest increase in supply days, costing just £1,374 in 2007 and leaping to £10,890 in 2008.

Cledford Primary School, an amalgamation of Cledford Infants and Cledford Primary School, currently has the biggest price tag for supply days with £37,223 in 2007 and £41,650 in 2008.

But two schools, Byley Primary, on Moss Lane, and Middlewich High, on King Edward Street, actually reduced their supply days from 2007 to 2008 with financial figures dropping from £11,072 to £9,299 and £19,308 to £16,610 respectively.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families added: “We have the highest number of permanent teachers for a generation.

“Supply staff play a valuable role in providing schools with the cover they need, but it is important for children to have consistency in their learning.

“It is down to schools and local authorities to decide on their use of supply staff, and the National Agreement in 2004 encouraged schools to use support staff to cover short absences rather than supply teachers.”