(UK) Cheshire: Cuts in mental health funding results in more kids excluded from school

Sept 29, 2017, (Cheshire, UK) Warrington Guardian: Rise in pupils excluded for abusive behavior http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/15558661.Rise_in_pupils_excluded_for_abusive_behaviour/ THE number of children excluded from schools across the town for abusive behaviour has increased. Figures released by the government show that there were 1,263 fixed period exclusions, where a child is excluded from school for a set number of days, in the past academic year. This is up from 1,160 the year before. And 344 of those incidents were down to students abusing or assaulting an adult, an increase of more than 100 on the previous year’s figure of 240. A total of 200 exclusions were due to youngsters threatening or assaulting other pupils compared to 190 incidents in 2015. Teaching unions say a rise in the number of exclusions could be down to cuts in mental health support and the number of teaching assistants, as head teachers struggle to make ends meet with low funding. While there were no children permanently excluded from primary schools in the town, 11 youngsters were told not to come back by their high school in the past year. … Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the national figures were ‘concerning’.