Suicides among vulnerable children increased more than 30 per cent last year to their highest level in at least four years, according to data from Ofsted.

Local authorities reported 46 suicides among at-risk children in 2017-18, up from 35 the previous year and up by more than 50 per cent compared to 2014-15, the figures showed.

Overall, self-inflicted deaths accounted for nearly half of the 94 at-risk children aged 11 or over who died last year, Ofsted said.

The higher number of suicides bucks the overall trend for reported incidents of serious harm involving at-risk young people, which is going down.

Deaths from accidents, dangerous behaviour like drug use, and abuse by a parent or carer have all fallen in recent years. Reports of serious harm dropped by 21 per cent in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.

The Ofsted figures cover incidents which local authorities are required to notify to the inspectorate, including cases involving death or serious harm to a child where abuse or neglect is known or suspected, and also deaths of children in care and children in regulated settings.

Government figures released this week showed that the number of children identified as “in need” reached a record high this year of more than 404,000 - up 4 per cent from the year before. The majority of referrals were due to domestic violence, followed closely by mental health issues.

Research has highlighted how children are falling through the gaps as schools and public services struggle to cope with a surge in numbers.

Referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) have jumped by more than a quarter (26 per cent) in the past five years, according to the Education Policy Institute.