School staff raise concern over rising levels of pupil anxiety

A survey of 1,250 school staff by the union Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), found that 12 per cent said stress levels are so great that pupils have attempted suicide, 44 per cent said anxiety was contributing to increased incidents of self-harm and a third thought eating disorders to be on the rise as a result of stress.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “It is shocking that so many young people are under so much stress that they self-harm. It is also alarming that much of the pressure and stress is caused by the education system and this needs to be a wake-up call to policy makers.
 
“Teachers do their best to support and protect children and young people from the pressures of schools which are becoming unhealthily competitive, but with brutal cuts to CAMHS support is no longer available to children and young people coping with mental health issues.”

In July, the children’s mental health charity YoungMinds revealed that more than £35m was cut from CAMHS last year.

Of those surveyed by the ATL, a fifth said pupils are turning to recreational drugs to alleviate school pressure, with almost two thirds (65 per cent) of school staff blaming testing and exams on heightened stress levels. Just under half felt that “an over-crowded curriculum” was to blame, with one in five also citing high levels of homework.