Mental Health in Schools: Special Report
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
With a growing number of children and young people facing probable mental health disorders, schools are in a unique position to address pupils' wellbeing before conditions reach crisis point.
The number of children who identify as having a probable mental health condition and are referred to services for support has risen significantly in the past six years.
Anxiety over societal events, exam pressures and the all-consuming nature of social media are all likely factors for this – while the isolating and worrying nature of the Covid-19 pandemic only served to amplify young people's fears.
The central role played by schools in children's lives means that they are inevitably on the front line of this issue: both as a protective factor to enhance pupils' wellbeing and seeing the disruption it can cause when mental health problems become severe.
Since the 2017 children's mental health green paper, policymakers have implemented several reforms that enhance the role of schools in promoting mental wellbeing, delivering support for mild to moderate conditions and referring young people for specialist help.
Specialist teams – now set up in around a third of schools – are showing positive results, but critics say the pace of progress is too slow in light of the scale of need. Meanwhile, long waiting lists for specialist mental health support means schools are having to deal with increasing numbers of children struggling to engage with education.
Some experts say current approaches have not gone far enough and instead schools and policymakers need to make mental wellbeing content part of the daily school routine.
CYP Now's special report on mental health in schools summarises key policy developments, charts the progress on training mental health leaders in education settings and highlights organisations delivering innovative practice in the field.
