This post is part of our series of articles focusing on the mental health of young people – marking Children’s Mental Health Week 2016.
On Thursday 10 December 2015, SSAT invited a small group of politicians, policymakers, policy-shapers, academics, and school leaders to discuss young people’s mental health in relation to the role of schools and the school system. Below is an extract taken from the subsequent report, authored by SSAT.
The role of schools
The discussion also considered the role of schools and the school sector specifically in causing, preventing and treating mental health issues.
At a sector level there was almost unanimous agreement that increased pressures on schools to meet accountability measures, and to focus on examination performance in the context of what the Secretary of State describes as a ‘rigour revolution’, risks contributing to a worsening of mental health among young people.
There was a view that schools must learn to say no; they must prioritise and make best use of their professional expertise and avoid being entirely driven by what they perceive Ofsted wants. Anticipating Ofsted’s requirements can lead directly to increased stress among both pupils and teachers.
There was less agreement about the interplay between the increased autonomy of schools and their ability to respond to changing circumstances. Some people felt that increased fragmentation in the sector means that there is little coherence in the commissioning of counselling services.
Some people felt that increased fragmentation in the sector means that there is little coherence in the commissioning of counselling services.
As Tom Rose pointed out, school budgets are tightening and he is being told by schools that they have to make choices between hiring teaching staff or counsellors.
Natasha Devon cited the discrepancies in provision available – too often there were not enough in the primary phase, but too many different services of variable quality in the secondary phase, with the consequent difficulty for schools in knowing which interventions to use.
At the same time both Steven Mallen and Chris Jeffreys agreed that there is a need for schools to develop their own whole school approach in an organic way. A top down approach is not the way forward, instead schools need to develop their own culture, their own support and interventions, their own responses to the changing demands.
This position linked to a wider agreement that schools need to be clear about the purpose of education and their vision for what they want for their pupils. It is timely that the government’s Education Select Committee has initiated a debate about the purpose of education. It is unlikely, and even undesirable, that there should be one single answer to the question.
A top down approach is not the way forward, instead schools need to develop their own culture, their own support and interventions
But different schools, addressing their different priorities and pre- occupations, serving their different communities, will want to be sure what they see as the purpose of education and how to achieve it, with children’s health as a key element.
Of course, there are many schools which are already doing outstanding work in this field and have been doing so for some time, a point initially made by John Invers and repeated throughout the discussion. We can and must learn from those schools which have a track record of successfully supporting the mental health of their pupils and we must generate more opportunities to share good practice and celebrate successes.
However, under increased financial constraints, there is a growing tendency in some schools to select interventions which are perceived as cheap options, rather than those which are known to be most effective.
There is an appetite for peer-to-peer support, for example; indeed there is evidence to show that this can be highly effective. But the issue of stigma attached to mental illness and the complex nature of some ill health mean that it may not be the right intervention and that professional expertise may be more suitable.
Natasha Devon quoted a young person who in talking to government ministers said ‘peer-to-peer support is important but needs careful management and supervision. It is not the be all and end all’…
Download the full report here [PDF].
