A WEST Penwith school is to make four members of staff redundant this summer following government cuts and a fall in pupil numbers.
Cape Cornwall School in St Just will shed both teachers and support staff before the start of the new school year in September.
Kathy Wallis, a Cornwall representative of teachers' union NASUWT, said cuts by central government and a fall in the number of pupils overall had caused widespread redundancies across the county.
The job losses would be hugely damaging to St Just and have a lasting impact, she said: "The community will be completely devastated.
"I think it's an appalling situation; there's very little work already. This is going to exacerbate the situation. It's going to make it really bad.
"They [staff members] were informed just before Christmas that there would be redundancies."
Miss Wallis, who has 20 years' experience in special and additional needs education, said a new funding system was "hitting Cornish schools very hard.
"It's all to do with central government," she explained.
"There are three that have been particularly badly hit; Cape Cornwall School is one of them."
A historic fall in the birthrate was now starting to have an effect in secondary schools, she said.
In January it was reported that Cape Cornwall School was undersubscribed for the current academic year, with only 62 applicants for 120 available places in Year 7.
The effect of the decline in pupil numbers is most pronounced in rural areas.
Cape Cornwall School head Julie Nash confirmed that four members of staff were taking voluntary redundancy with effect from August 31 as a "result of a restructuring programme implemented by the governing body", but stressed: "The school is committed to providing the highest possible quality of education."