A children's life coach and counsellor from south London says the future of this generation "rests on a knife edge" as she speaks on schooling and the pandemic.
Cassie Swift, 38, believes that children's mental health has been overlooked and worries that academic 'catch-up' has taken priority.
It comes as millions of pupils in England began returning to class last week after months of remote education.
The Sutton life-coach believes that any additional pressure at this time - could be the "tipping point for students".
"The emphasis has been getting them back to school so they do not miss out on anymore academic learning," she said.
Surely, the academic part comes after ensuring all children are mentally well in themselves, as without this they are not going to be able to learn and concentrate anyway.
"When it has been said that children are missing school, I believe that isn’t actually the case.
"Generally what children mean is they miss their friends, they miss the physical interaction, as humans we are social beings and need that interaction.
"It also does not help the children or make sense that once they leave school, they are no longer allowed to play with them at the park and have to socially distance, it doesn’t make sense when they have spent all day with one another.
"I feel more funding should be put to non-academic activities and also to pay for professionals such as counsellors and coaches to go into schools to offer support to those children who need it."
Cassie's comments come after the government announced that secondary schools will be asked to deliver summer schools as part of the government’s multimillion-pound catch-up programme.
As part of the recovery package, summer provision will be introduced for pupils who need it the most, such as incoming Year 7 pupils, whilst one-to-one and small group tutoring schemes will be expanded.
MORE: Summer schools to be delivered as part of £700m catch-up scheme
Speaking about the summer catch-up announcement and schools reopening, Cassie said: "I believe a phased entry would have proved more beneficial for both children and staff.
"This not purely being so as cases could be monitored carefully, working out which age group are more likely to be carrying the virus, but also, we do not know what has happened for each family during this time.
"It would have allowed the staff time to see what extra support and/or encouragement is needed for each student and provide that, with fewer pupils in the class and in the school.
"With the full reopening some children struggling may get easily overlooked as it is not always evident that there is struggle going on.
"As for Summer schools to ‘catch up', I feel is to put it bluntly a bad idea.
Children, and adults for that matter, have been living through a traumatic period of time and the last thing anyone wants to be doing is ‘catching up’ children are aware they have missed out on learning, but spending time trying to make this up will not work."
She added: "Everyone is stating how this generation are at a disadvantage because of how much they have academically missed out on and that mental health will worsen. However, I believe the future of this generation rests on a knife edge.
"The budget set out money for academic funding, but little was said about children’s actual mental health funding. I feel that if all this money is ploughed into making the children ‘catch up’ then they will have poor mental health and the current issues will worsen.
"We are already seeing an increase in 10-year-olds visiting A&E due to self-harm. Eating disorders have increased as have depression and anxiety, if the money focuses on schooling this is going to worsen and there will be a mental health crisis.
"However, if this money is spent on things like funding safe spaces for children to socialise with one another, team sports, art classes, dance, and other ways of expressing themselves as well as coaching and counselling then I believe this generation will be the strongest, most resilient, empathic, understanding and kind generation that we have ever seen.
"Which is why I say it is on a knife edge, it could go either way and sadly we do not have much say over what decision is made."
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