A group of prominent state and private school leaders have called for mandated national waiting times for pupils accessing child and adolescent mental health services.
The leaders warned that vulnerable children were being let down because of delays in being able to access services.
They have published a report today with a series of recommendations to help schools support young people’s mental health.
Review of children’s mental health needs rejected
It comes after the Department for Education last week rejected calls from MPs for a major cross-government review of children’s mental health needs, amid warnings about the impact that strained services are having on schools.
The Coalition for Youth Mental Health in Schools that produced today’s report is made up of Alleyn’s School, Danes Educational Trust, Eton College, Lady Eleanor Holles School, Oasis Community Learning, Reach Academy Feltham, Star Academies, St Paul’s School and Wellington College.
It was formed during the national lockdown in 2021 to respond to the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of young people.
In a joint statement published today, the school leaders said: “Two years on, vulnerable students are still being let down by delays in the system and insufficient availability of care.”
While there is a “colossal effort” under way in schools to tackle these challenges, there are “still too many hurdles for too many pupils when it comes to accessing mental health support”, the leaders warned.
Call for mandated national wait times
The report makes a series of recommendations:
It says that there should be mandated national waiting time standards for all Camhs.
The coalition’s visits to schools across the country have shown “the postcode discrepancies in accessibility were stark”, it warns.
It adds: “The emphasis on early, in-school intervention before a child meets crisis point is the right one, but a long-term plan to ensure NHS services are equipped to meet demand must accompany this.”
Such a plan must take account of the “underlying discrepancies in need and capacity for both early and acute intervention”.
A sense of belonging
The report also emphasises the importance of school culture in fostering a sense of belonging, actively encouraging the development of social and emotional skills, alongside behaviour management.
But, while this can improve pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, it is unlikely to be enough on its own, the report adds.
The coalition says that a successful whole-school approach should also involve “taught” elements, for example through personal, social and health education.
‘Tipping point’ for mental health provision
The report adds: “The state of mental health provision in our country has reached a tipping point.
“We are keen that no teacher or school finds themselves unsupported when it comes to protecting their children’s mental health.
“We encourage the government to address the mental health epidemic across the country, so that we can take action together so all our young people, wherever they are, can flourish.”
A government spokesperson said: “We’re investing record sums to boost mental health support for children, including extending school and college mental health support teams to at least 50 per cent of pupils in England by the end of March 2025, and providing £2.3 billion a year for NHS mental health services to reach an additional 345,000 children.
“As part of the mandatory relationships, sex and health education curriculum, all children are taught about how to develop good mental health.”
