Over the past few weeks The TES has been taking an in-depth look at the Every Child Matters agenda, designed to promote children’s wellbeing and ensure services work more closely together.

Clearly, there is a long way to go before we can say it is working as well as it should. Only one in four teachers in our Big 5 series poll rated children’s support services as good or better. Most suspect they have taught victims of abuse or neglect, yet feel inadequately trained to deal with the problem. And three-quarters believe children’s enjoyment of education is being compromised by too many tests and exams.

Ministers must urgently address these concerns. Even so, Every Child Matters offers a guiding principle that puts children’s health and happiness first: it is the right approach.