Schools across the North have had to make teaching cuts because of falling rolls and budget pressures, it was revealed yesterday.

And last night it emerged that the number of teaching staff in County Durham has dropped by 22, with 16 voluntary and six compulsory redundancies out of 5,700 teaching staff.

The majority of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in the region have seen teachers made redundant because of the situation, a national newspaper has said.

Voluntary and compulsory redundancies, as well as vacant posts not being filled, mean teacher numbers have fallen in many areas, with the exceptions of Middlesbrough, which has taken on five extra support staff, and Stockton, Northumberland and Redcar and Cleveland, which have seen no change in numbers.

Most authorities said the cuts were because of falling rolls but some, including North Yorkshire and Sunderland, said it was a combination of reasons.

Hartlepool and Stockton gave no reply to 13 questions which were sent to every local authority in a survey carried out by The Guardian.

Darlington has seen an 11.1 per cent drop in full-time teaching staff, with three voluntary redundancies.

North Yorkshire blamed almost a third of its drop of 14 teachers on budget pressures, with the rest caused by falling rolls.

South Tyneside LEA expressed doubt over whether Education Secretary Charles Clarke had done enough to avert similar budget problems in the next school year.