Community has supported calls from the Children’s Commissioner for England, in her report Voices of England’s Missing Children, for more support for pupils regularly missing schools.
Helen Osgood, National Officer for Education and Early Years, said:
“We welcome the report for highlighting the need for more support for pupils, and in particular the recommendation that every school in England should have access to a support team.
“Long before the pandemic, mental health support services for education were under pressure, with long waits for assessment and schools often having to fund support in the intervening time.
“Behaviour and attendance issues – often linked to poor social skills and low self-esteem – have risen because of children spending long periods of time at home throughout the pandemic.
“Schools are doing the best they can within stretched budgets, but they have been encouraged to focus on education recovery without being given the time and resources to support the underlying issues.
“Many children and their families are in desperate need of support.
“School staff often feel overwhelmed by the wide range of needs in their class.
“As well as supporting those with identified special educational needs, more inclusive classroom resources and adaptations are needed to support those with, for example, autism, ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia who do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis but are among the 15% of the UK population who are neurodivergent.”
Community’s 2021 report The Future of Education recommended that mental wellbeing support should be provided for all students and staff.
Further information
Community calls for more neurodiversity and mental health support in the 13 June 2022 issues of SecEd and HeadteacherUpdate.
Children’s Commissioner for England:
- The Children’s Commissioner publishes Voices of England’s Missing Children report
- Voices of England’s missing children (June 2022) (pdf)
If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2022