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Mental Health and Education.. Let’s Talk
Words Yetunde Salako
In 2017 an NHS review of children’s mental health identified 1 in 9 children aged 5 to 16 years old as having a probable mental health disorder, this increased to 1 in 6 in 2020 and the increase was in both girls and boys. With children’s mental health services struggling to meet the need, how do we prioritise our children’s emotional health and the effect it may have on their education?
I have recently become a first time parent myself and I can tell you that you don’t get any training. However we do not need to overcomplicate this. It is important to have age appropriate conversations with young people, this gives us the opportunity to explain certain events that affect them, the space to explore their feelings, for us to check their understanding and provide reassurance. This does not have to be a structured therapy session. Doing this regularly can avoid ‘emotional flooding’ the easiest way to explain what this is, is to imagine every emotion you’ve not been able to fully process being kept away in a jar and then without warning this jar is knocked over (the trigger) and the emotions are all over the floor (the flooding). There are developmental stages that are naturally anxiety inducing for a young person, puberty is one of them and major life events can be a source of stress. But couple that with the past year, it has been even more confusing for young people. Their routines mostly shaped by the education system that normally provides certain results that they’ve been working hard for, was done away with due to the pandemic. They were told they can’t see their friends in person and everyone started wearing masks. Do our young people have the safe space to process the emotions that come with an event?
I spoke with a newly qualified teacher, who answered some questions about any formal training they receive. They explained that their PGCE course did not include any teaching about children’s mental health. During inset days at the school they now work at, the staff spend some time discussing ways to address the emotional needs of the children, through RSHE lessons and other initiatives such as a wellbeing room. When asked if they felt equipped enough to recognise the signs of mental health symptoms in a young person, they replied no. As a mental health professional myself, I do not expect our teachers to be able to diagnose or provide any mental health treatment, but I do believe it’s important to equip our teachers with the knowledge that boosts the confidence to have certain conversations, this leads the young person to the right support.
Young people spend around 39 weeks a year in formal education. At university level, there is a dedicated student wellbeing team supporting students with minimising the impact, mental health conditions can have on their ability to learn. For example, experiencing symptoms of anxiety can affect concentration, making it difficult to participate in taught sessions, it can bring on stomach upset and panic attacks, which can affect attendance and final grades. Students are offered reasonable adjustments to their studies to mitigate against these symptoms and level the playing field so they can achieve at the same level as their peers.
The Mental Health Foundation found that of the 1323 school children they surveyed in 2017, 26% reported feelings of being worried and sad and it caused them to struggle to do their homework, 38% said it caused difficulty going to sleep and 11% say they have no one to talk to, or would not talk to anyone in school.
My experience working in education has shown me that if young people are not given the right support, it can result in non-engagement with their studies.
A UK government published guidance in June 2021 outlined some of the steps they are taking to support mental wellbeing in schools and colleges. This includes senior lead training, the Department of Education has also provided an extra £7 million to the wellbeing for education recovery programme, which funds local authorities to provide additional support to schools and colleges. A Mental Wellbeing module has been made available for teachers to deliver in RSHE classes and psychological first aid training for all staff in schools and colleges who help children up to age 25 years. There are also plans for the NHS to provide 400 mental health support teams to schools in the UK which will offer support to almost 3 million pupils by 2023.
It is imperative that any plans to implement support for young people’s well-being is a collaborative effort that includes schools, parents and support services. Mental health conditions can have negative outcomes for a young person’s education and by getting teachers and parents talking, we equip ourselves with more knowledge on this topic. It deepens our understanding, helps us to connect and removes stigma. Most importantly it puts us in a better position to help young people to still achieve their educational goals despite the odds.
“The aspiration in the NHS 10 year plan to provide support to all children who need specialist care by 2028 is very important. This ambition now needs a clear delivery plan to ensure this target is met. This will only be achieved if the system of support on offer is broadened out to include support in schools, online and from the voluntary sector This briefing shows that even before the pandemic, services were not able to meet the level of need, so had no capacity to deal with the unprecedented surge in mental health problems amongst children we have seen since. Improving NHS specialist services is only part of the answer. We also need a broader system response to children’s mental health, incorporating schools and the voluntary sector.” - Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England.