Parents and a teaching union have expressed concerns after a number of teachers have announced plans to leave a Richmond school.

An anonymous parent of children at Richmond Park Academy, on Park Avenue, told the Richmond and Twickenham Times that she is worried about the affect the change in teachers will have on her children.

The parent said news was announced to the students at the beginning of July after “already losing several highly skilled teachers this year”.

The letter writer said: “Myself and other parents have contacted the school, governors via the school and even Ofsted.

“We are considering removing our children from the school.”

The National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, has been made aware of the staff changes and is supportive of the parents' concerns.

Martin Powell-Davies, London NUT Regional Secretary, said: “The NUT shares parents’ concerns over the number of experienced staff leaving Richmond Park Academy.

“High teacher turnover threatens the stability that young people require and can also be an indicator of low morale.

“We are concerned that some schools under financial pressures may be looking to cut salary costs by replacing more experienced staff by newer teachers.”

Academies are independent, all-ability, state schools supported by an academy trust and independent of local authority control, however, are still entitled to government grants and funded at the same rate as other state schools.

A spokesman for Richmond Park Academy said: “Nine out of 57 teachers will leave at the end of this term due to relocation or promotion and we wish them well in their new endeavours.

“As well as recruiting a new Deputy Head we have worked hard to recruit first-class replacements for the new academic year and are delighted to say that all posts are filled with teachers coming from schools with excellent track records like St John the Baptist and Ark and Harris Academies.

“All teachers have Qualified Teacher Status.

“This is a very exciting period of change for Richmond Park Academy which we look forward to sharing it with our supportive students and parents and the wider community.”