latest

Poor mental health support having negative effect on learning

Seven in 10 teachers say that pupils’ mental health Is worse now than when they started teaching

15th October 2024 about a 3 minute read
“Growing up today is tough, with many experiencing multiple pressures including inequality, discrimination, poverty, and a future that looks uncertain. Add on intense academic pressure and around the clock social media, it’s no wonder so many are struggling.” Laura Bunt, chief executive, YoungMinds

Nearly three-quarters of teachers believe poor mental health support is having a negative impact on learning, according to new research from the charity YoungMinds.

The survey findings paint a picture showing teachers spending more and more time supporting their pupils’ mental health, while pupils struggle to access professional support.

The research, conducted by Censuswide with 1005 UK-based primary and  secondary school teachers over a single week in September, found that nine out of 10 teachers (89%) said they are more involved in supporting young people’s metal health now than when they started their career. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) say that pupils’ mental health is worse now than when they started teaching.

Teachers are dealing with the impact of young people’s deteriorating mental health in the classroom. Three-quarters of teachers (75%) say that at least once a week they prioritise supporting pupils’ mental health over the curriculum. One in four say they do this once a day. This includes making adjustments in class for specific pupils or supporting a young person in distress.

One in five pupils need support with mental health

Young people often face long waits for mental health support and are unable to access the help they need at the point they need it. This lack of support is a major concern among teachers. On average, the teachers surveyed say that one in five (19%) pupils need support with their mental health, while half (49%) say that of the pupils needing help, only a quarter or fewer are getting the support they need.

When asked about other forms of support, half of teachers (50%) say pupils talk with their friends while more than one in three (36%) say pupils speak up in school asking for better mental health support. Nearly half say that  pupils take part in mental health awareness days.

As well as supporting pupils’ mental health, many teachers are feeling the impact on their own mental health. More than one third (36%) of teachers surveyed have struggled with their mental wellbeing in the past year and 30% say the pressure at work affects their mental health.

One teacher who took part in the research said: “Teachers are at capacity and there is no time to support these children effectively. We are not counsellors or therapists, and I worry the tools we are told to use with these children are inconsistent and may do more harm than good. We are experts at teaching not mental health. If we were, we would have better mental health ourselves and maybe more teachers would stay in the profession.”

Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds, said that the research “provides further evidence of a spiralling youth mental health crisis and exposes the harmful impact this is having on pupils and teachers, affecting pupils’ ability to learn, and diverting teachers’ time away from focusing on teaching.”

She added: “Growing up today is tough, with many experiencing multiple pressures including inequality, discrimination, poverty, and a future that looks uncertain. Add on intense academic pressure and around the clock social media, it’s no wonder so many are struggling.”

Bunt called on the government to address the problem of the lack of support for pupils with mental health problems: “The government can ease the pressure on teachers by rolling out open access early support hubs in every community as soon as possible, so young people can get help early for their mental health. We also need more mental health support in schools and to rebalance the education system so that wellbeing is a priority alongside academic achievement.”

FCC Insight

This survey confirms previous research showing that a growing number of pupils are experiencing mental health problems. Because professional support is hard to come by, teachers are stepping in to fill the gap, while the stress of supporting these pupils affects their own mental health. This situation is unsustainable in the long term – we cannot afford to have schools filled with pupils desperate for mental health support, or to have more teachers leaving the profession as a result of stress. YoungMinds is right to call for more mental health hubs to support pupils, but we also need to make sure measures are in place to support teachers. The government needs to look, too, at whether our current educational model is in part responsible for creating unnecessary pressure on pupils.