Education cuts ‘cause mental health issues & self harming’

TORY cuts have forced schools into a “straitjacket” and pupils are so stressed they have mental health issues and selfharm, teachers heard yesterday.

The funding crisis is forcing school leaders into making “unethical changes”, such as increasing class sizes and axing support staff.

At its annual conference in Liverpool, the National Education Union called on teachers to

WARNINGS Josie Whiteley of

speak out and highlight the impact of funding cuts. The NEU’s Josie Whiteley told delegates: “School budget cuts and post-16 under-funding over the last decade has led to education being forced into a straitjacket, with a tight focus on English, maths and science – and the wider curriculum being ignored. “Schoolchildren are so stressed as a result that the levels of selfharm and mental health issues are increasing.”