Responding to a new census of school leaders from the Children’s Commissioner today (Mon 8th Sept), Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT – the largest school leaders’ union with members across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – said:

“This report echoes much of what our members tell us about the impact of chronic underfunding of all services over the last decade and a half. School budgets have been eroded at the same time that wider services have been decimated. That combined with an increased demand for things like children’s mental health support has left schools struggling to get access to the vital support that children and young people need.

“As the Children’s Commissioner points out, school leaders desperately want to do their best for all pupils and provide them with everything they need to thrive. But far too many feel they are frustrated by lack of resources. In particular, our members agree that funding for pupils with EHCPs is often insufficient. They agree that reform of the SEND system is urgently required.

“Problems with behaviour and attendance are often driven by issues outside the school gates and largely outside schools’ control – for example, poverty and the impact of the cost of living, plus mental health concerns. Schools need to be able to refer the most severe cases on to experts who can provide support to those children and families, but in so many cases that support either isn’t available, or is so delayed that things get worse.

“The current government inherited a very difficult situation when it was elected. We know that they are working to deliver meaningful change. But if their ambition is to be realised, it must be backed by the significant investment our schools and pupils so urgently need.”