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\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"News](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-18-at-22.50.56-840x559.jpg\")
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Financial pressures on schools and wider public services are exacerbating pupil behaviour problems, with \u201cwholly inadequate\u201d health support, trade unions warned.<\/p>\n
Claire Armitstead, director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, warned behaviour has significantly changed post-pandemic.<\/p>\n
She told Senedd members: \u201cWe see challenging behaviour happening for young children\u2026 we see behaviour becoming more aggressive\u2026 more aggressive than we\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Armitstead warned worsening school behaviour increases teachers\u2019 workloads, stress and anxiety, \u201ccreating the conditions where people no longer want to stay in the profession\u201d.<\/p>\n
Appearing before the Senedd education committee on June 18, she raised concerns about financial pressures forcing schools to cut emotional and mental health support.<\/p>\n
\u2018Desperate\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSchool funding means we\u2019re at a point where we\u2019re nearly at just statutory provision,\u201d she said. \u201cThose people who helped those children change the way they behaved and gave them a life chance they probably would never have without them, they won\u2019t be in schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Laura Doel, national secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers Cymru, added that worsening behaviour shows the impact of the \u201cdesperate\u201d situation facing schools.<\/p>\n She told the committee: \u201cThey cut the pastoral staff because they\u2019re non-statutory, we have challenges in additional learning needs where we have learners in mainstream.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some children, it just isn\u2019t suitable for them \u2013 we can\u2019t cater for their needs\u2026 there\u2019s nowhere else for them to go, so the pressure is on schools to retain them.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Doel described the number of educational psychologists in Wales and the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) as \u201cwholly inadequate\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018Stretched\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n She said: \u201cSocial services are incredibly stretched with more pressure being put on schools to then step into that space. We can\u2019t continue to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cThat will, undoubtedly, have an impact on retention of teachers because they are being asked more and more of the things that they didn\u2019t go into the profession for.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Doel warned: \u201cAt the moment, we\u2019re not seeing any significant move from this government to challenge those behavioural issues that we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n She welcomed a summit on behaviour organised by ministers \u201cbut what we really need is those people on the ground to be able to build those relationships with learners\u201d.<\/p>\n Ms Armitstead added: \u201cA child with a plan for suicide and very unwell: 28 days for intervention by Camhs. The mental health of our cohorts has significantly worsened [but] the times for them to get the help they need has significantly increased.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Severed\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n She stressed: \u201cBehaviour is a symptom, not a cause. We haven\u2019t got the multi-agency working to address the cause\u2026 health has pulled back so much for education \u2013 they are not playing their role in this community where we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Armitstead, a headteacher for 15 years, said Wales needs multi-agency working or schools need to be funded to deliver those services.<\/p>\n Neil Foley, vice-president of the ASCL and headteacher of Prestatyn High School, warned the expectation is enormous with schools stepping in to fill the gap.<\/p>\n He told the committee: \u201cThe link between home and school has been severed, so when a child misbehaves, they have their phone out in class or they\u2019re caught with a vape \u2013 we are met with\u00a0challenge\u00a0from home as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Foley added: \u201cWe can do everything we can but if we don\u2019t get support from home, behaviour initiatives and everything that we\u2019ve put in place \u2013 the longevity is not there because the parents are not supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Mission creep\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Giving evidence to the committee\u2019s inquiry on teacher recruitment and retention, the witnesses warned of \u201ctoxic\u201d workloads and \u201cmission creep\u201d, raising the example of headteachers acting as caretakers due to a lack of funding to recruit.<\/p>\n Ms Armitstead told the committee: \u201cThe reality is \u2013 because the workload is so enormous \u2013 if you don\u2019t love it, you can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The former headteacher warned of an \u201calmost exponential\u201d increase in abuse faced by school staff on social media, with \u201chatred breeding hatred\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cPre-pandemic, teachers and school leaders were seen as having positive intent, whether we agreed or not \u2013 our intent was never questioned,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now our intent is questioned \u2013 and publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter<\/p>\n
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