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www.teachwire.ne t | 23 B aroness Spielman’s recent assertion that schools have become “therapeutic institutions” that should refocus on academic pursuits and extracurricular activities misses the mark. As the headteacher of a special autism school, I can confirm that, yes, we have become therapeutic institutions. But not because we want to. It is because we have no choice. Baroness Spielman suggests that children need to experience “the lumps and bumps of adolescence” without support, to become resilient adults. She also says that extracurricular activities are crucial for wellbeing. In a world with adequately funded support services, this might be possible. Referrals to child and adult mental health services (CAMHS) crisis teams have risen by 53 per cent since 2019. Persistent absences have also significantly increased in the past five years. Yet rather than addressing this surge in demand with expanded resources, we have seen the opposite – a chronically underfunded system that has closed crucial services for children. The waiting lists for mental health support are often years long. Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and counselling services have all been reduced or disappeared entirely from local authorities’ budgets. So, where do desperate families turn to? Schools. Not because we have evolved to become “therapeutic institutions”, but because we are often the only place in the community that has contact with their child. An underfunded, overstretched system has driven parents to view Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) as the only route to access the basic support their child needs. Parents have had to seek an EHCP for their child due to the need for specialist support, such as therapy or equipment. This should be readily available with proper funding. The Baroness believes that extracurricular activities are crucial for children’s wellbeing; I agree, when a child is mentally well enough to participate. Many SEND pupils may struggle to engage with their core learning, let alone extracurricular activities. Not because they lack the potential or the interest – many of my pupils have deep interests – but because they are overwhelmed and struggling with school-based anxiety or trauma. With insufficient support, these children struggle with sensory overwhelm, they are punished for behaviours that communicate their individual needs, or they simply avoid school. Suggesting that these children should cope without support to become “fully functioning adults” is not just misguided; it is harmful, something that any teacher working with SEND children will recognise. Research consistently demonstrates that appropriate support and interventions help autistic people to thrive. So removing this support won’t build resilience, it will build trauma. And these children will carry that trauma with them throughout their academic career and into adulthood, which will require far more intervention and support than if this were available to them at a young age. w .teachwire.net | 17 A letter to... Saying that schools should refocus on academics completely misses the point – in a broken system, teachers need support as much as pupils do... Each issueweaskacontributor to penanote theywould love to send Class teachers Stephanie Smith is head of school at The Cavendish School. thecavendishschool.org.uk VO I C E S No teacher that I know of entered our profession to become a therapist. We want to help children achieve their aspirations and prepare them for life beyond the classroom. Yet, every day, we find ourselves supporting pupils and their families in crisis. But what alternative do we have? Watching our children become young adults who are unable to navigate life’s “lumps and bumps” because their genuine needs have gone unsupported certainly isn’t an option. As many teachers know, the emotional toll of supporting children struggling with mental health challenges can be immense. Especially while knowing that if we don’t provide this support, nobody else will. From spending evenings and weekends researching, to attending training and supporting colleagues, is it any wonder that our profession is facing a recruitment and retention crisis? Every day, schools lose compassionate, committed teachers and support staff who cannot continue bridging the gaps in our current system. Wellbeing checks and support aren’t just needed by pupils, but teachers too. Helping children to feel safe builds the very foundations that make learning possible for them. Yet, while the gaps we are trying to fill shouldn’t exist, they do, and we need to protect ourselves and our colleagues’ mental wellbeing as much as we protect our pupils. So, take this as your cue to reach out to your coworker, take a night off from worrying about your pupils, and seek professional support, if you need it. Stephanie “Removing this support won’t build resilience, it will build trauma”