THE opening of a chill-out room for pupils at a Stockport school has been condemned by education campaigners.

Children at St Paul's Primary, Brinnington, are being taught "de-stressing" in the room where soothing music is played. They can have massage, psychotherapy and seek advice on breathing techniques.

The services are also being made available to parents and staff.

But the scheme was attacked by the Campaign For Real Education, a pressure group which aims to raise standards in schools.

Chairman Nick Seaton said: "I would have thought that providing new-age therapies is completely at odds with the real purpose of a school.

"Psychotherapy can involve very powerful techniques and the parents should be concerned about whether these should be used on small children. This sort of thing shouldn't be necessary in a school.

"Schools often complain about being short of money and yet this seems a complete waste of money.

Concentration

"If children are becoming stressed, the school should be asking why that is happening."

St Paul's hopes the scheme will improve children's concentration and improve their performance in the classroom.

Head teacher Julie Bottomley decided to create the zone after research at Liverpool University looked at the benefits of such a facility.

Teachers have created the zone in a spare room and have set aside Friday as a relaxation day, with a massage therapist taking small groups of pupils for 20-minute sessions. The aim is to help youngsters feel refreshed and more able to concentrate.

Mrs Bottomley now hopes to set up a specially furnished room to be used three days a week and employ a psychotherapist to help the pupils to relax.

This would cost around '38,000, which could not come from school funds, so she is contacting trusts across the country.

What do you think of chill-out rooms in schools?

by Conrad AstleySTRESSED OUT: Children with head teacher Julie Bottomley PIC: PAUL BURROWS Tweet