Mental health experts say more training is needed for secondary school teachers amid rising levels of student anxiety and depression.
More than four in five (82 per cent) secondary school teachers surveyed by Teacher Tapp report seeing increased anxiety or depressive symptoms in their students during the last school year, according to findings published today.
This is five percentage points higher than when the survey was run at the same time last year.
The findings have been published by the Early Intervention Foundation, a mental health charity for young people.
In the same survey, two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents said that existing mental health problems in students worsened in the last school year, up from 62 per cent at the end of the 2021 academic year.
Meanwhile, the proportion of secondary school teachers and leaders who have received mental health training has also risen according to the survey, conducted from 10-11 August.
The proportion rose by 6 percentage points, year-on-year, to 41 per cent this year.
However, the training was unevenly split across seniority as 64 per cent of headteachers and 54 per cent of senior leaders were recipients, against just 36 per cent of classroom teachers.
Furthermore, teachers in schools with lower Ofsted ratings were significantly less likely to have received mental health training.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of classroom teachers in “outstanding” institutions had received training, compared with a combined 28 per cent in “good”, “requires improvement” or “inadequate” schools.
Donna Molloy, director of policy at the Early Intervention Foundation, said the findings showed the importance of “more, high quality” support for teachers to help pupils with mental health problems.
She said: “The evidence is clear that teacher-led support, when delivered to a high level of quality, makes a difference to young people’s mental health outcomes.
“Young people’s mental health must remain a national priority, and teacher training and dedicated time in the curriculum for focusing on wellbeing are important ways of reducing young people’s mental health issues.”
‘Teachers are well placed’
Jaime Smith, director of the Anna Freud Centre charity’s schools division, said a whole-school approach was best.
“Education staff should not be expected to be mental health experts but they are well placed to spot early signs that young people may be struggling,” she said.
She added: “That’s why it’s essential all school staff, no matter their role or stage of their career, have the appropriate training to be able to support their students, and refer on to mental health professionals at the right time.
“Every school should have a senior mental health lead and embed a whole school approach to mental health.”
Under the current Department for Education plans, all 7,800 schools in the UK will have a trained senior mental health lead to help provide support to pupils who need it by 2025.
The department is running an applications process for schools to secure funding for a course during the 2022-23 academic year until 31 March 2023.
