COM0016

Written evidence submitted by the Association of School and College Leaders
 

1               The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) represents more than 18,000 heads, principals, deputies, vice-principals, assistant heads, business managers and other senior staff of maintained and independent schools and colleges throughout the UK. ASCL has members in more than 90 per cent of secondary schools and colleges of all types, responsible for the education of more than four million young people. This places the association in a unique position to consider this issue from the viewpoint of the leaders of secondary schools and of colleges.

2               ASCL welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s document, Ambitious for Children, setting out her five commitments for the next five years.

Mental Health Provision and Emotional Health and Well-being

3               ASCL believes that the most urgent and pressing concern for children and young people within the remit of the Children’s Commissioner is mental health provision or the lack of such provision.

4               The key points are:

• Schools and colleges accept the need to promote emotion health and well-being (EHWB) but cannot treat students: this is the remit of health professionals.

• Those treating young people for EHWB need adequate training, qualifications and clinical supervision.

• This area of work needs to be adequately resourced so that the needs of students can be treated before they become acute.

5               Emotional health and wellbeing and mental health provision is of increasing concern for school and college leaders. The drastic cuts to funding to local authorities to commission mental health provision has created a dire situation where schools and college leaders are reporting that they are increasingly unable to access, or to access in time, much needed provision and support for the young people in their care.

6               Our members report that the situation is such that Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is only able to respond when a child or young person’s mental health becomes acute, and that CAMHS is no longer able to do the essential preventative work and to give early support. School and colleges leaders from all types of school and college are reporting that the need for community based provision as well as acute provision has reached a critical point. In July 2015 the Inclusion Committee of ASCL said that education institutions are delivering “emotional first aid” without essential training and supervision which should be funded and provided by the health service. ASCL takes the view that the job of education is to promote health and well-being with children and to recognise when a child or young person is suffering from mental health problems but in such cases the school or college should be able to report the case to a specialist who is trained to provide the appropriate help and support.

7               ASCL members also report that parents are increasingly looking to schools to provide help when they are struggling with their children because they too are unable to access specialist services.

Ramadan and Examinations

8               ASCL’s second priority relates to the fact that Ramadan is set to fall within the examination period over the next five years. ASCL fears that a whole generation of young Muslims could be adversely affected by sitting examinations without access to water and food. ASCL plans to engage with a broad coalition of members of the Muslim community including imams, faith leaders, respected scholars and others to put together an advice for GCSE and A level students that states that the Qu’ran does not expect them to jeopardise future prospects by fasting on days in which they have exams. We hope to engage with the Children’s Commissioner in this important work.

9               Other ASCL priorities that fall within the remit of the Children’s Commissioner include:

• Harmful sexual content and exploitation (including radicalisation) online. This remains of ongoing concern for our members and we hope to continue working with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on this very important area.

• Student outcomes and accountability measures. Though supporting the intention, ASCL believes that the government proposals for the EBacc curriculum are too rigid and do not align with principles for a well-balanced education and could adversely affect some groups of children and young people more than others. A recent survey conducted by ASCL, found nearly 90 per cent of school leaders disagreed with compulsory EBacc for every pupil. The traditional academic focus of the EBacc subjects does not suit every pupil and it is unfair on young people to take a one-size-fits-all approach to their education. ASCL is concerned that creative, technology and vocational subjects will be squeezed out of the curriculum.

10           I hope that this is of value to your consultation, ASCL is willing to be further consulted and to assist in any way that it can.

October 2015