Much as the prime minister may resent the row over those frustratingly undiscovered weapons of mass destruction, for Charles Clarke, the education secretary, the timing could hardly have been kinder. With schools returning from their half-term break, teachers across the country are discovering how many of their number are to be made redundant at the end of the term: present estimates indicate that it could be at least 800. But the real picture is much worse: there will be many unfilled vacancies, while support staff on short-term contracts will quietly disappear.
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