IMAGE by GrAl
The kids are not alright Words by Emily Jenkins
And neither are many educators. How can we help our pupils and ourselves recover from the effects of the pandemic on our mental health? EVEN before the Covid-19 pandemic, education and health experts were warning that young people’s mental health and wellbeing was reaching crisis point. Unsurprisingly, the last 18 months have seen a huge rise in the number of pupils experiencing mental distress. Findings from the NEU’s 2021 state of education survey show that 78 per cent of members surveyed believe mental health problems among pupils have increased in the past year, with 34 per cent saying they have “increased greatly”. James Emmett, regional clinical lead at children’s mental health charity Place2Be, says there has been a worrying spike in self-harm, suicide ideation, and children struggling mentally after witnessing or experiencing domestic abuse. A lack of routine, continual disruption to their education, loneliness, illness, bereavement, increases in family
poverty and exam chaos are all taking a huge toll on children and young people. “We may think that we have protected our children, but the stress and anxiety, and pressure and worry that the adults have been struggling with on so many levels, has very powerfully filtered down,” James argues. A record 65,533 referrals were made to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in March this year – more than double the number in March 2020 and 68 per cent higher than in March 2019, NHS data reveals. “There’s been a huge wave of children in need of mental health support coming through all systems – through school, social care, GP surgeries and the NHS,” explains James. continued on page 26 educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
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