Two school organisations in Zaanstad are warning that they may have to cut down to a four-day week because of a shortage of teaching staff.

The organisations, Agora and Zaan Primair, say personnel numbers have been cut to such an extent that they will have no cover if teachers fall ill during the autumn flu season. ‘We know this is going to happen and probably in the short term. We just don’t know where.’

The two organisations run 55 primary schools in the town in Noord-Holland. It said it had had to implement similar measures last year in the upper two classes (groep 7 and groep 8) in some schools for several weeks.

In some schools parents volunteered to stand in for absent teachers, but Spies said the organisations had ruled out a repeat this year. ‘We want to preserve the quality of our education and we don’t think it is good for the children to have lessons from just anyone. We’d rather do a day less and maintain a high standard.’

The education inspectorate said it would not tolerate a long-term reduction to a four-day week if it interfered with the legal requirement to give children a minimum of 940 hours’ school per year.

‘We realise it is difficult for schools to fix their plans, but the law does not permit a four-day school week,’ said a spokesman. Schools are limited by law to a maximum of seven four-day weeks per year.