Cuts to school support services make children more vulnerable to gang violence, world’s best teacher Andria Zafirakou says

Cuts in support services for schools make children more vulnerable to gang violence, the person named world’s best teacher has warned.

Andria Zafirakou, a woman who won the $1m (£700,000) Global Teacher Prize last month, has said that less access to counsellors, mentors and police make it harder for pupils to escape crime.

The arts and textiles teacher, who works at Alperton Community School in Wembley, north London – where gangs target pupils – has called for more funding for pastoral provision in schools.

Her comments come amid a spike in violent crime which has seen children as young as 13 stabbed on the streets in London.

This week an 18-year-old man was killed in Forest Gate - and he is thought to be the twelfth teenager killed by knife or gun crime in the capital in 2018.

When asked by The Independent what schools can do to keep children safe from violence on the streets, Ms Zafirakou said: “Support services are what really make the difference to our children.

“I don’t think we give enough credit to the pastoral provision that we do put on. With the cuts to funding, this is where it is going to hit our children.

“They can put on lots of afterschool provision for them – but if they haven’t got access to counsellors 24 hours a day, mentors, police services, our children will unfortunately be in those vulnerable situations and they won’t be able to get out of them.”

Ms Zafirakou, who was awarded the prize in Dubai, helps vulnerable pupils to stay out of danger by escorting them home, and she has set up clubs to protect them from violence. She has also organised revision classes and homework groups during weekends and school holidays to give her students a safe and quiet place to work.

Ms Zafirakou told The Independent that schools keeping their doors open for longer can help – but she added: “It’s difficult because schools don’t have the money to keep their doors open.

“Schools are being stretched for everything. We need the help to do that. We can do as much as we can but we need the financial support.”

The award-winning teacher added that workload pressures and secondary school curriculum reforms have made it harder for teachers to find time to build relationships with vulnerable children.

And Ms Zafirakou believes that these children are more likely to discuss their problems in arts subjects. “You can seem them relax and they open up and they are able to talk to you,” she said.

Last week, the government announced £96m of funding to help talented pupils attend top music, drama and dance schools. But the London teacher has warned that disadvantaged pupils are unlikely to benefit from the scheme as they have limited exposure to these prestigious institutions.

The announcement comes as arts provision in schools is under pressure amid league table measures, which do not prioritise the arts, and tight budgets which have led to arts teachers being cut.

Ms Zafirakou said: “We probably have got talent in our schools but there is nobody to identify them because we have cut down on drama teachers and we have cut down on dance teaches because we can’t afford them. It is getting these organisations back into the schools to work with them.”

She added that getting celebrities, such as pop musicians, graffiti artists and fashion designers, to speak in schools that serve disadvantaged cohorts could help reverse the decline of the arts.

“I am quite frustrated that our students are not taking up these subjects. I am dreading what will happen to our children when they are competing on a global stage. They will be lacking on creative skills and communication skills,” Ms Zafirakou said.