EB / News / Management / Mental health champion for UK schools axed by DfE
Mental health champion for UK schools axed by DfE
EB News: 05/05/2016 - 12:14
Natasha Devon, the government’s mental health champion for UK schools, has been axed by the Department for Education (DfE).
The move came after Devon criticised extensive testing of young people, which has been a flagship focus on the government’s education reforms.
Speaking at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) conference, she said: “Time and time again over recent years, young people - and the people who teach them - have spoken out about how a rigorous culture of testing and academic pressure is detrimental to their mental health.
“At one end of the scale we’ve got four year-olds being tested, at the other end of the scale we’ve got teenagers leaving school and facing the prospect of leaving university with record amounts of debt. Anxiety is the fastest growing illness in under-21s. These things are not a coincidence.”
The DfE has denied that the move was politically motived or linked to her comments about testing, but instead part of a move to introduce a cross government mental health champion.
A spokesperson said: “Natasha has done a great job of helping us raise the profile of young people’s mental health since her appointment last year. Since that time, the independent NHS task force report has been published which recommended that a cross-government mental health champion be created- for this reason we have had to consider the Department’s own role.
“We have asked Natasha and others who have been involved in our work to empower schools and young people to promote good mental health, to continue to work with us as we prepare to launch our activity later this year.”
The government has allocated more than £630 million to public buildings to upgrade their energy measures, such as heat pumps, solar panels, insulation and double glazing.
More than 240,000 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to benefit from a national programme to improve access to PE and school sports, which has been backed by £300,000 for the first year.
A recent TeacherTapp survey found that only half of parents attended parents evening appointments at secondary schools, while a much higher percentage attend for primary schools.
Headteachers in Scotland, following over £1 billion investment from the government, say that the attainment of their pupils that are experiencing poverty has improved.
New research has found that one in four (28 per cent) school leaders and headteachers across England are planning to leave their roles, with 23 per cent attributing this to stress and poor mental health.