When the pandemic hit, it didn’t just disrupt learning; it exposed and deepened an existing youth mental health crisis. Teachers and pastoral staff have shouldered that burden since. Our latest report, published today, reveals encouraging signs of recovery, but also stark reminders of how uneven that recovery remains.
New polling from Public First at the heart of this report shows that 77 per cent of young people rate their mental health as ‘quite good’ or ‘very good’, rising to 84 per cent among 11- and 12-year-olds.
And there is evident progress since 2021. Then, 60 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds were worried about their mental health, including stress and anxiety. This has now dropped to 39 per cent.
Reports of negative feelings and behaviours such as restless sleep, difficulty concentrating and loneliness have declined across the board, and the proportion of this age group rating their mental health as ‘quite poor’ or ‘very poor’ has fallen from 21 per cent to 10 per cent.
These improvements speak to the resilience of schools, staff and young people in emerging from the dark days of the pandemic. This is without doubt cause for celebration.
However, today’s results also mean that tens of thousands of young people are still suffering from poor mental health day in and day out in our schools.
Amid cause for optimism, we must not lose sight of groups within the school-age population who are disproportionately likely to report poor mental health outcomes. There are uncomfortable truths in these findings that everyone working in the school system must face.
A key finding relates to the gender gap in mental health: girls are more than twice as likely as boys to rate their mental health as ‘quite poor’ or ‘very poor’ (11 per cent and five per cent respectively). They also report higher stress levels (3.8/10 compared to 3.2/10).
Family income is also significant. Young people from households earning under £30,000 rated their school-related worries at 4.9/10, compared to 4.1 among those from households earning over £60,000.
These findings should spur those in power to do more
It will also be concerning to many that young people are hugely reliant on their phones. Among 11-to 18-year-olds, 32 per cent say having their phone taken away would be more likely to ruin their day than getting detention (25 per cent) or a poor grade (23 per cent).
Despite age restrictions, 63 per cent of 11- and 12-year-olds have at least one social media account, and one-quarter of all users aged 11 to 18 say they couldn’t do without it.
Perhaps most challengingly of all, schools emerge as the area of their lives that 11- to 18-year-olds find most stressful, outstripping their own futures and the general state of the world. Under half of young people (42 per cent) say they have been taught about how to look after their own mental health, and 40 per cent believe schools put too much pressure on them.
These findings should give policymakers confidence in the school sector’s ability to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. They should also spur those in power to do more for those whose mental health outcomes remain poor.
For example, Labour’s manifesto commitment to youth hubs could give disadvantaged young people a place to receive wraparound support outside the stresses of a school environment.
Additionally, a joined-up approach will be vital in delivering the commitment to counsellor access in every school. These professionals could play an important role in filling the gaps schools feel less confident in addressing when it comes to teaching young people how to take care of their own mental health.
Day in and day out, school staff work with young people for whom the pandemic feels like a dark and distant memory, and those who still struggle to set foot in school.
They are well versed in celebrating the progress that children have made and guiding them on the tough road that still lies ahead. It is time for policymakers to learn this skill too.
Read the full report here
Jane Lunnon and Jon Needham are co-chairs of The Coalition for Youth Mental Health in Schools alongside Alicia Drummond, Founder of Teen Tips and The Wellbeing Hub
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