Barnardo's: Young people have suffered "an unprecedented level of trauma"

The Government could miss a once in a generation opportunity to put mental health and wellbeing at the heart of the education system if it does not make changes when schools reopen their gates, the children’s charity warned.

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “When it comes to this pandemic, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat.

“We know children who were already vulnerable before the crisis have been badly affected, and with families now under increasing financial and emotional pressure, more children are now living in poverty and at risk of abuse. Many more are struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, now largely hidden from the view of teachers and professionals.

“When children return to school, there must be additional resource available to help overcome not just the ‘attainment gap’ but also the ‘trauma gap’ faced by vulnerable pupils.

“The Government should also take this once in a generation opportunity to rebalance the school system, recognising that children rely on school to keep them safe and well, just as much as they need it to pass exams.

“We urge the Government to work with schools, local authorities, the NHS and charities to place wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum and school culture, so that every child has the support they need to thrive.”

This comes as Former Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has said it is time to reopen schools, but warned it is "critical" that parents are confident it is safe to do so. "It is all right opening up schools but if parents lack that confidence they are not going to send (children) in.

It is not a question of whether it is "safe" to open schools but of whether it is "safe enough", a leading public health academic has said.

Professor Devi Sridhar, personal chair in global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the Government needed to decide what "threshold of risk" is acceptable to the public.