Mental health and wellbeing crisis: is it deepening?

Yes, is the simple answer. It's no secret that mental health and wellbeing has been an ongoing problem in schools for many years now. With cuts to budgets in real terms, recruitment crises rife and EHCP needs rising year on year. How is this crisis going to be tackled?

The figures and stats first then... pupils with EHCPs rose 10.8% year-on-year to 638,700 by January 2025 (all settings), with 483,000 EHCP pupils in schools. Children not yet treated by year-end waited 6 months on average in 2023/24, with a sizeable minority waiting longer than 12 months; and waits for diagnosis and treatment vary sharply by local NHS area, so clearly there are inconsistencies across the country.

So what is driving and compounding this crisis then? Firstly, there is rampant poverty and destitution. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that there are approximately 1 million children in destitution which leads directly to food insecurity, housing instability and attendance/behaviour strains in schools as reported nearly every week. Then there's CAMHS and it's capacity and variability. National averages hide huge Integrated Care Board level variation in time from referral to first/second contact; where some areas move in days, others in months. The pressure on schools increases as they become the de-facto holding service. And finally there's rising complexity of need. Increasing EHCP volumes, tribunal activity and off-site placements add administrative load and coordination time for SENCOs and DSLs. The crisis is being compounded year on year.

So what can be done about the crisis and what options are available? Well, the Children’s Commissioner’s asked this week for ring-fenced children’s mental health funding in every area, and a single, meaningful wait-time metric, referral to treatment which should be published for accountability. Next, that SEND/EHCP reform should be debated. DfE data shows relentless EHCP growth; Ministers are exploring reforms to make mainstream provision more inclusive and reduce adversarial processes. Some reporting frames indicate this as potentially changing the legal entitlements architecture with stakeholders alerted to any dilution of enforceable rights. And finally there's the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which proposes a statutory wellbeing duty/measure for schools (and has sparked debates on phones/social media). It's not government legislation (yet), but it shows the direction of travel. There may therefore be more formal responsibility for wellbeing in the school system.

Is this going away? No. Is this getting better and headed in the right direction? Time will tell. Sadly, I don't hold out much hope. Add your comments below.

Image courtesy of schoolsweek.co.uk