The headteacher of a New Malden school has made an impassioned plea to the Government to invest in education, saying that schools are on the verge of “imploding”.

Sean Maher, of Richard Challoner School, is working with headteachers from across the borough on sending a letter to Downing Street protesting what he calls a “series of stealth cuts” that will lead to the loss of teachers.

The plea comes after the National Union of Teachers (NUT) published figures projecting cuts at schools across the country and their impact.

According the figures, Kingston’s school budget will fall by £6.1m by 2020, averaging at a loss of £302 per pupil and the loss of 165 teachers across the borough.

The Department for Education (DfE) has criticised the figures as “scaremongering” and “speculative”.

Mr Maher told this website: “Our view is that basically if it’s not resolved soon it will certainly impact young people’s futures.

“We just can’t continue to do our job on a string budget. What there have been is a series of stealth cuts.

“There are no more efficiencies to make, the next thing is cutting teachers. If something is not done or if there are future stealth cuts then I feel schools will implode.”

In a passionate blog post posted online this week, he claims education is at a “tipping point” and that good performances by teachers and students at Richard Challoner simply “mask a crisis”.

He cites four years of unfunded pay rises, increased pension contributions and changes to GCSEs and A-Levels creating unmanageable teacher workloads as reasons for the crisis.

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the NUT said: “No headteacher should be put in the position of increasing class sizes, leaving building repairs undone or cutting staff and resources simply to balance the books.

“Nor should any parent accept this for their child. We are one of the richest countries in the world. We can and we should be funding our schools properly.”

Chancellor Phillip Hammond has come under criticism from education bodies across the country for failing to address school funding pressures during his Autumn Statement yesterday.

He did however pledge a £50m pot of money to support the expansion of grammar schools.

The NUT’s projections have been calculated using a specially designed database and based on a series of assumptions leading up to 2020.

A DfE spokesman said: "It’s unfair and confusing for parents, pupils and schools themselves.

“We are due to publish a new fairer funding formula, and as the NUT and ATL admit, their speculative figures do not take that into account.

 “In reality the schools budget has been protected and in 2016-17 totals over £40billion, the highest ever on record.”

Kingston headteachers are expected to deliver their letter to the Government in the coming weeks.

Visit schoolcuts.org.uk to see a breakdown of the NUT’s figures.