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Dame Rachel de Souza, the children\u2019s commissioner for England, highlighted the importance of children feeling safe in a permanent and secure home<\/p>\n
AARON CHOWN\/PA<\/p>\n
Access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) emerged as a top concern for 70 per cent of primary schools and 78 per cent of secondary schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools are increasingly dealing with more pupils with mental health difficulties and being asked to fill the gaps where children face long waiting lists for community services,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
De Souza said that while having a \u201cbrilliant teacher is foundational\u201d for young people, \u201cit\u2019s not enough on its own\u201d as she highlighted the importance of feeling safe in a permanent and secure home.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cGood teaching alone can\u2019t keep children safe at home, can\u2019t mitigate the impact of living in temporary accommodation, can\u2019t make living with domestic abuse easier.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cost of child mental health diagnoses \u2018hits \u00a316.6bn a year\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAnd without that additional support, the gap between them and their peers will continue to grow. Their challenges lie not only in the classroom but beyond it, from housing and health challenges to having a parent in prison, bereavement, needing a social worker or being at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation or having caring responsibilities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is those services outside the classroom which \u2014 as evidenced by the findings in this report \u2014 are often the key to unlocking effective support for children\u2019s wider needs.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have not benefited from the same rigour, focus or investment as schools. And if we are to smash the glass ceiling on attendance, engagement, attainment and excellence, they must be where we turn our collective energy.\u201d<\/p>\n The findings also show that attendance and the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are top concerns. <\/p>\n Nearly four in ten children (37 per cent) will need additional support with learning at some point in their education, and a quarter will need a social worker. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, a million children live in destitution, and over a million children miss a day of school every fortnight. <\/p>\n Despite these growing needs, ministers are considering plans that could see hundreds of thousands of children lose their legal right to support in school through education, health and care plans (EHCPs). <\/p>\n However, the commissioner says no child with an existing EHCP should lose their plan or be forced to move school. <\/p>\n To prevent vulnerable pupils from falling through the cracks, the commissioner is calling for a children\u2019s plan for every child in England. <\/p>\n This joined-up support record would combine education, health and care information on a secure digital platform, giving professionals and families a full picture of a child\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n For some, this would mean a modified school report; for others, it would serve as a tool to help professionals across services better understand their needs and support them. <\/p>\n