TEACHERS in Buckinghamshire are not likely to take industrial action over the shortage of staff in schools.

That's because the county council is not asking them to bear an unfair burden, according to teachers' union representatives at a panel meeting with county councillors on Tuesday.

Cressex School teacher Val Daniel said: "The authority has been very good. Teachers are not being asked to undertake duties outside their terms of reference and we are not getting requests to ballot for action because of pressure being put on members."

Teachers in some other areas are being asked by their unions if they want to refuse to cover for absent colleagues.

Mike Appleyard, cabinet member for schools on Buckinghamshire County Council, said he was pleased there would be no industrial action.

But the teachers made it clear that the staff shortages were putting schools under tremendous pressure.

It was now virtually impossible to get supply staff and teacher Angie Rutter said it had taken her school, Aston Clinton Combined, 30 phone calls to find one.

Mrs Daniel said the health of senior staff trying to cope with the crisis would suffer. Management teams were so busy covering for absent staff they could not do other necessary work.

At the beginning of the spring term schools in the county were at least 120 staff short, or just over three per cent of the workforce. In secondary schools, there were 50 vacancies.

Schools have to cope either by cover from their own staff, using agency staff or amalgamating classes.

Alan Mander, head of resources at County Hall, said the education department was trying to work with schools where there were problems. The shortage was a very serious issue and worse than last term.

The Government had just made a further £25 million available to try and get teachers back into the profession, though he still didn't have details.