State of Education Report 2017 state-of-education-booklet-Final-WEB | Page 23

4. PUPIL WELLBEING
Stress and anxiety among young people are on the rise, and pupils seem more fearful of what lies beyond school.
Changes to the curriculum, assessment and accountability measures appear to be having a negative impact: fear
of academic failure, in particular, has increased over the last two years, and most school leaders see a direct link
between these system changes and a deterioration in pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Schools are working
with parents and training staff to spot early indicators of poor mental health, among many other interventions,
but are calling for primary pupils in particular to be able to “enjoy school” and “not be pressured to perform”.
81%
of school leaders worry more
about pupils’ mental health
during assessment periods now
than they did two years ago
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79%
have noticed an increase
in stress, anxiety and panic
attacks among their pupils
over the past two years
66%
are working with
parents to support
pupils’ wellbeing
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