Impact of 'target-driven' school system debated
Janaki Mahadevan
Sunday, November 6, 2011
An increasing number of children and parents are concerned about the stress of exams, sparking a debate on whether children's wellbeing is being damaged by a target-driven school culture.
An annual debate, hosted by charity YoungMinds, will explore whether regular testing and increasing pressure to succeed is damaging children’s mental health.
Sarah Brennan, chief executive of YoungMinds, said: "Young people constantly tell us of the pressures they experience at school to succeed and how constant testing makes them feel pressurised and anxious.
"The increase in the number of calls to our parent’s helpline this year about exam stress also demonstrates the difficulties we are creating for young people in our school system.
"We have to address how this may be damaging children’s wellbeing and creating yet more mental health problems in a generation of young people already worried about dismal future job prospects."
The event will also mark the start of the charity’s two-year, government-funded project in schools, which will provide training and consultancy to clusters of primary and secondary schools, and gather the views of professionals, parents and pupils to shape the development of resources.
The project aims to improve the mental health of both adults and children in schools and address the specific needs of pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.
Brennan added: "Two-thirds of young people who went before the courts in the recent riots were identified as having special educational needs. The importance of giving children the right support early cannot be underestimated if we are to radically improve their outcomes."
