Schools cannot shoulder burden of wider support for pupils alone, research warns

Schools cannot shoulder the burden of providing wider support to pupils alone, researchers have warned, as seven in 10 teachers say they lack the support they need from key services.

Teachers and school leaders continue to report pupils need a high level of support with additional needs such as general wellbeing, mental health and access to learning, findings from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) show.

More than seven in 10 teachers responding to a survey said support for their pupils across key support services such as physical health services, mental health services, external special educational needs and disabilities (Send) advice and local authority services is less than good.

Researchers have warned that further pressure on school budgets and the lack of availability of wider support services risks affecting children’s learning and wellbeing.

Jenna Julius, research director at NFER, said: “Schools are taking significant steps to support pupils and staff, but they cannot shoulder the burden alone.”

“As financial pressures on school budgets and wider public services stretch resources further, there is a real risk that children’s wellbeing and learning will be affected by the strain on support services,” she added.

Teachers reported particularly low access to mental health services for pupils. Over half of primary (67%) and secondary (55%) classrooms teachers said they got little or no help from services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

However, secondary teachers were nine percentage points more likely to report a good level of access to mental health services for pupils compared with the previous two years.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools, many of which are facing budgetary pressures, do their best to support children.

“However, where the support required lies outside education, it can be difficult for them to access help from community services including social care and mental health which have been under-funded over the last decade. Funding to support pupils with Send has also failed to keep pace with increased demand.

“More investment is needed for all these services, alongside reform of the Send system, and tangible action to tackle child poverty. There should be no expectation on any school to provide health or social care services funded from the school budget.”

Four in five (80%) secondary senior school leaders and three in five (60%) primary leaders responding to the survey said they had commissioned external counselling services for pupils not available through their local authority or trust.

Two-thirds of the leaders surveyed by NFER said they have expected their school to return a deficit budget for 2025/26.

The Department for Education (DfE) said in May it will invest to ensure six in 10 pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026. Plans are for teams to reach all pupils by 2029/30.

Sector leaders have been warning schools have been left to run services like food banks and support with housing as wider public services crumble around them.

A study by the University of Bristol last year found schools had become the biggest source of charitable food and household aid, with around one in five schools running one.

Survey responses are from an NFER June survey of more than 350 senior leaders and 800 classroom teachers.

A government spokesperson said: “It’s clear young people with mental health issues have been let down for years, which is why through our plan for change we are recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers, and providing access to a specialist mental health professional for every school in England.

“We’re already delivering change across the Send system, including investing £740 million to create more specialist school places and earlier intervention for children with speech and language needs.

“But we know there is more to do, and in the upcoming schools white paper, we’ll set out how we will make sure all pupils have the chance to achieve and thrive in school, securing the work and life outcomes they deserve.”