Half of all children worry about the future
Lauren Higgs
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Half of all ten to 15 year olds are concerned about the future and worry about school exams, an Ofsted survey has found.
The third annual Tellus survey, which questioned 150,000 young people, asked respondents how they view their lives in terms of the five Every Child Matters outcomes.
While 69 per cent reported being happy and 95 per cent have one or more good friend, 27 per cent worry about being bullied frequently.
Body concerns affected more than a third of children and caused more children to worry than schoolwork, family or crime.
The number of respondents who said they smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol decreased this year, but one in six said they drink regularly and four per cent smoke cigarettes daily.
Christine Gilbert, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills, said the results of the survey would be shared with local authorities, schools and policy makers.
She said: "The survey finds much that is positive in their lives, and encouragingly some things have improved since last year's survey. However, more needs to be done to support concerns for those children who do not feel safe in schools, those who are bullied and children who smoke, drink and misuse drugs."
