A TOP Liverpool school is set to cut back its catering and maintenance as it looks to plug a £200,000 funding shortfall.

Sandfield Park secondary St Edward’s College has sparked anger among catering staff who have been ordered to “provide the same quality of service” but cut their budget by £30,000 a year.

Although no decision on redundancies has been made, staff told the Daily Post they fear for their jobs.

Last night, the school blamed a cut in public funding for the cuts, which come as it has paid an extra £100,000 to provide additional teaching in its sixth form.

It says the move is to ensure students are equipped to meet tougher university entry requirements.

Sodexo, which provides the school’s meals, has launched a 12-week consultation period with around 20 staff on how to “review our labour”.

Suggestions workers have offered to make the savings have included charging St Edward’s teaching staff £5 for a school meal and charging for refreshments handed out during school sports matches.

But the school has rejected the ideas, insisting it “seeks to be an employer of choice” and charging for pitch side food would penalise parents who make voluntary donations. The school is among five city schools sharing £44m for a transformation under the Government’s Building Schools For the Future scheme.

And the school said it was also “inevitable that direct employees of the school involved in buildings and maintenance are going to be under scrutiny”.