Responding to a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which looks at the challenges facing the next government in tackling issues facing schools including inequality and pupil absence, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We hear from school leaders how challenges like poverty and mental ill-health are causing enormous harm to more children, affecting their ability to attend school and focus and thrive when they are there.

“Schools do their best to help, but they lack the time, resources and expertise, and the difficulty they face in accessing funding to support pupils with special educational needs (SEND) is a real issue. A lack of investment means community services often have higher thresholds for support and longer waiting lists, while some have been lost entirely.

“We need to see significantly more investment from the next government in vital services like children’s social care and mental health services, so that families get earlier help, as well a commitment to tackling the root causes of child poverty. Without this, there is a real risk that disadvantage will be baked in from one generation to the next.”