HUNDREDS of staff and parents from schools across the borough set themselves on a collision course with Hounslow Council this week as they launched a widespread campaign to unite and fight'' against controversial plans to cut back on nursery nurses as part of a cash saving exercise.

Early Years support staff emerged as the most likely candidates to lose out after the council, as the Local Education Authority (LEA), admitted last week that it must trim around £3 million from the education budget over the coming year.

An eruption of anger followed, however, with parents from a number of schools pledging to fight to save the jobs of people they hailed as a vital necessity, not a luxury'' in ensuring the delivery of high educational standards for their children.

But time is against them and despite petitioners organising a number of urgent meetings and protests backed by a plethora of banners and placards, the deadline for consultation over the cuts is approaching - and council officials have already stressed that difficult decisions'' could lie ahead.

Due to a poor allocation from the government for its 2002/03 budget, the council must make cuts to balance the books. Nursery nurses provide support for teachers in reception classes, often with up to 30 children aged four and five.

The situation was brought to light last week when Lyn Ravenhill, headteacher of Cardinal Road Infant & Nursery School in Feltham, received an e-mail from the council outlining the potential two per cent budget cut which would effect the nurses at her school.

Expressing her shock at the deplorable situation which would undermine attempts to raise standards by threatening the foundations of learning, she contacted parents and governors to rally support.

Now, parents, staff and local councillors from across the borough have mobilised and are set to lobby the council ahead of the February 15th deadline for consultation.

Karen Warren's son Samuel is four and is coming to the end of his first year at Bedfont Infant School. She described the input of the class nursery nurse as vital to his development.

I doubt he would have got through the past year so well without the support of the nurse. With 30 children in some classes the teacher simply cannot be expected to cater for so many kids without help,'' she told the Times.

Nurses do so much, helping with reading and resources and just being there for the children and they play an absolutely vital role in aiding teachers.

Everyone is very angry about the prospect of them being cut back. Labour promised investment in education and this goes completely against what we were all promised,'' she added.

Her friend Venetia Coates expressed her dismay at the situation, which has thrown up a question mark over the future education of her son, Daniel. He's four and attends St Lawrence's in Feltham. I'm a practising Catholic and this is one of the few schools available to me. If it lost nurses I'd be terribly limited in what I could do for him,'' she added.

Nurses are an absolutely essential part of school life and are a necessity - not a luxury. We haven't got long until the council will meet to make a decision and the deadline for consultation is approaching. We've got to unite and fight for the future of our children.''

Headteacher at St Lawrence's, Rory McCormack, concurred: Sacking nurses would be like cutting the teaching staff. These are not untrained people. They are highly skilled, qualified assets to school life and to lose them would be a major blow to the teaching force in the borough.''

Isleworth Town Primary School has also launched a campaign, which includes banners outside the school and a petition, in a bid to halt the cuts which could cost them up to five members of staff.

Ward councillor Phil Andrews, whose four-year-old twins attend the school, has pledged his full support, and said the council's actions are astonishing.

We don't put up with this kind of thing in Isleworth any more and the parents and teachers are to be congratulated for their assertive response to the threat.''

Margaret Proctor, headteacher at Chatsworth Infant and Nursery School agreed that having one teacher per 30 four-year-olds is unacceptable.

It's very worrying, especially for the smaller schools who have their budgets stretched anyway,'' she said.

Nurses are very well trained and highly qualified and whereas parents and staff are well aware of the work nurses do, I'm not sure councillors know enough about their role.''

Like a number of schools in the borough, Chatsworth has organised a petition opposing the cuts and a meeting has been called for nurses to consider their options.

Council officials stood firm, however, and a spokesman told the Times last week that schools will be facing some difficult decisions'' in this area of education.

The cuts are just one option suggested as part of consultation in response to the government allocation to the council for the coming year, which is far lower than expected.

The consultation highlights the need for the council to identify potential savings. A number of options have been suggested, and heads and governing bodies will be responding to the education department,'' he explained.

Obviously not all of the proposed savings can be popular, especially when they relate to education. But we currently fund some areas of service in schools, especially in the Early Years, at a higher level than that set out by government policy.''