Half of children would not speak to school staff about mental health concerns, poll suggests

Around half of school children would not talk to their teacher or other education staff if they were struggling with their mental health, polling suggests.

A survey by the Anna Freud Centre charity found 48 per cent of the more than 3,000 11- 19-year-olds who took part said they would not speak to anyone in school about their concerns.

The number of pupils who said they would not approach school staff was even higher among the younger cohort, with 52 per cent of those in the 11-13 age bracket saying they would not speak to anyone at school.

The report also found an overwhelming majority of children (93 per cent) said they wanted mental health to be brought into the classroom, and for conversations on the subject to be normalised in schools and colleges.

It comes as the coronavirus pandemic and closure of schools has had a profound impact on children and young people’s mental health.

In England, where it is now compulsory for state schools to teach pupils about health education – including mental health issues – the proportion of children and young people with a probable mental health disorder has risen from one in eight in November 2017 to one in six in July 2020, according to an NHS Digital study.

One student told researchers at the Anna Freud Centre: “It is just as important as physical health and not talked about enough. People feel too ashamed to get help and this needs to change.”

The charity said schools had made advances in supporting students, but that there was more work to be done to open up conversations about mental health.

For those who would seek support from someone in school, they are most likely to turn to a trusted teacher.

Nearly a quarter of respondents said the main benefit of discussing mental health at school was that it is easier than talking to family, and one in five young people said that having a friend or peer for support was the main benefit of discussing mental health topics in school.

The most important topic areas young people said they would like to learn more about were depression and anxiety, body image and identity.

When asked what factors had a negative impact on their mental health, children cited school work, exams, family pressure and bullying.

Some students talked about their gender and sexual identity, citing gender dysphoria, being transgender, and being confused about or afraid of their sexuality.

Others found that the school environment was particularly challenging in this regard, with fears of “Being judged for being trans/non-binary” and “Teachers not understanding my gender as non-binary”.

Additional societal factors including homophobia and racism were also raised, along with ableism and sexism.

The students sampled also had concerns about the news and current events, and several listed stress as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns.

Some also expressed wider human rights concerns as well as environmental concerns which they said felt outside their control.

Jaime Smith, director of the schools programme at the Anna Freud Centre, said: “From these new findings, we hear the voices of students at this critical time for schools.

“They tell us that the current generation of children and young people, who are living through the pandemic, actively want to learn and talk more about mental health.

“We should embrace their openness as a genuine opportunity for schools to prioritise mental health and wellbeing.”

The report said the return of pupils after the lockdown offered an opportunity for all schools and colleges to review their approach to mental health.

“In this way they can become mentally healthy schools and best support their students to reach their full potential, ensuring that mental health needs are balanced alongside academic attainment,” it said.