State of Education Report 2017 state-of-education-booklet-Final-WEB | Page 25

Pupils in coastal schools appear to be suffering more commonly pupils. Seven in 10 (68%) primary leaders and almost eight in 10 (77%)
than their inland peers: 57% of coastal school leaders have seen secondary leaders believe that these changes have had a negative
an increase in pupil self-harm compared to 43% of those in inland impact on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.
schools. Fear of the future among pupils appears to be more
dominant in coastal regions also, where 58% of school leaders think
it has increased, alongside 46% of leaders in inl and schools.
57% of coastal school leaders have
seen an increase in pupil self-harm
compared to 43% of those inland.
Percentage of school leaders, by phase, who think
changes to the curriculum and school performance
measures over the past two years have negatively
affected their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing:
68%
77%
Primary
Secondary
Health impact of curriculum, assessment and
accountability
While there may be many and varied reasons for these increases, Alongside this, we see a more prevalent fear of the future: 45% of
there are clear signs that the school system is having an impact on primary leaders and 59% of secondary leaders believe this to be more
pupil mental health and wellbeing. widespread among their
pupils than two years ago.
Three-quarters (75%) of all school leaders say they’ve seen an increase Uncertainty around the
in fear of academic failure among their pupils over the past two years, national assessment system,
with little difference between primary and secondary settings. School how well future employers
leaders believe that changes to the curriculum and school performance understand it, and events on
measures, which have largely taken effect in the course of the last two the world stage might well
years, are not only causing challenges for them but also affecting their be playing into these fears.
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“An increase in issues with
the emotional health of
young people has coincided
with a wholesale change in
the curriculum and a lack
of funding to support that
curriculum change.”
School leader
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