Teachers and Campaigners Call for Action Over UK’s ‘Intolerable’ Mental Health Crisis

A recent article in the Guardian states that schools are are a crunch point in terms of the mental health challenge facing classrooms. Many are feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. The article can be read in full here. 

“Children and teenagers are facing an “intolerable” mental health crisis and an urgent cash injection is needed in schools to prevent a lifetime of damage, teachers, doctors and MPs have warned. Amid concerns about deeply worrying rates of self-harm and soaring numbers of children seeking help for problems such as eating disorders, teachers, campaigners and politicians have made a desperate plea to the government. The intervention comes after a Children’s Society report revealed more than 100,000 children aged 14 in the UK are self-harming, with 22% of girls affected. The revelation was described as “deeply worrying” by the charity.”

The article, by Sarah Marsh and Amanda Boateng, goes on to talk about the crisis mounting in schools, and the pressure that all the systems are under. Leaders in the field are calling for funding.  A senior policy adviser at the headteachers’ union NAHT, Sarah Hannafin, said: “There is a crisis and children are under increasing amount of pressure … Schools have a key role to play and we are doing what can, but we need more funding.”

Other leaders are talking about how overwhelmed teachers are with the amount of mental health problems in their classrooms, and that counsellor and pastoral support staff and PSHE time were being cut in many areas due to a lack of funding.