Pembrokeshire head teacher takes on caretaker job

A head teacher has been forced to moonlight as his school’s caretaker in a bid to save money within its squeezed budget.

Gareth Lewis now sees to the day-to-day maintenance work, testing of fire alarms, and water hygiene at his primary school in Pembrokeshire, in addition to teaching and his other duties as its head.

His is one example of how schools in Wales are responding to the squeeze on budgets, while many others are cutting jobs.

The Welsh government – which is responsible for education in Wales – said its budget next year was £700m less in real terms than when it was set by the UK government in 2021.

Councils have confirmed to BBC Wales News that nearly 200 schools have been discussing redundancies in 2024, with the full figure likely to be far higher.

Mr Lewis has been headteacher of…