Survey finds school behaviour policies are ineffective in creating change
A survey by the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition has found that both children and parents are unhappy with how behaviour is being managed in schools in England.
Mental Health Campaigns in Schools this week
This Monday, schools across the North East celebrated World Mental Health Day with a range of special lessons and activities aiming to raise awareness for the Mental Health Foundation. The annual campaign aims to ‘make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’, and hopes that mental health will be treated on par with physical health, as well as normalise conversations about mental health in general.
North East schools also took part in #HelloYellow on the same day, wearing yellow to school and raising money for Young Minds.
Young Minds thanked participants and explained:
“Record numbers of children and young people are seeking out mental health support, with many of them not being able to access the support and treatment they need. Waiting lists are getting longer and young people are being made to feel like their feelings don’t matter. Like they don’t matter. We wanted to do something about this, and together we have.”
Coalition conducts Mental Health Survey
As part of an inquiry into behaviour and mental health in schools, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition asked young people, parents and professionals their views on current approaches to behaviour management and mental health in schools, and how they can be improved, via an open call for evidence. The survey heard from 111 young people, 495 parents and 234 professionals.
The inquiry is exploring the links between mental health and behaviour, how current school policies on behaviour affect young people and their families, and what schools can do to improve both behaviour and mental health. This follows widespread concern about the increased use of punitive approaches such as the use of exclusion and removal rooms to improve behaviour in schools.
The rise in the use of punitive approaches is set against a backdrop of growing mental health need among children and young people, with one in six children and young people aged 6 to 16 experiencing a mental health problem in 2021 compared to one in nine in 2017.
Summary of Survey Findings
- 79% of young people who responded to the call for evidence and 87% of parents and carers agreed that a young person’s behaviour is linked to their mental health.
- Only 21% of young people and 7% of parents felt that schools are responsive to young people’s mental health needs when dealing with behavioural issues.
- While 32% of professionals responding said that schools are responsive to young people’s mental health needs when dealing with behavioural issues, 46% disagreed.
- When asked about the effectiveness of behaviour management techniques used in schools, over half of young people (59%) said they were not effective in improving behaviour.
- 80% of parents and carers and 56% of professionals also stated that behaviour management techniques used by schools are not effective
Behaviour linked to Mental Health
Survey respondents strongly agreed that behaviour is linked to young people’s mental health, but that current responses to behaviour in school do not reflect this. 79% of young people who responded to the call for evidence and 87% of parents and carers agreed that a young person’s behaviour is linked to their mental health. However, only 21% of young people and 7% of parents felt that schools are responsive to young people’s mental health needs when dealing with behavioural issues.
Mixed Response
Professionals responding to the survey had mixed views on schools responses to mental health needs. Responses came from teachers, Head Teachers, mental health practitioners and representatives from the Voluntary and Community Sector. While 32% of professionals responding said that schools are responsive to young people’s mental health needs when dealing with behavioural issues, 46% disagreed.
When asked about the effectiveness of behaviour management techniques used in schools, over half of young people (59%) who responded said they were not effective in improving behaviour. 80% of parents and carers and 56% of professionals also stated that behaviour management techniques used by schools are not effective.
Ongoing Project
The survey is the first stage of the behaviour and mental health in schools’ inquiry, with further evidence gathering planned. The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition will report on the full findings early next year.
Sir Norman Lamb, Chair of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, said:
“We must not forget that children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever. Our preliminary findings suggest that whilst young people are aware that behaviour is often linked to their mental health, they do not believe that current behaviour policies are effective. We share the ambition of the government to create supportive, safe and inclusive school environments that enable and facilitate learning. The call for evidence has captured wide- ranging views on the topic of behaviour and mental health in schools, and we are keen to understand all viewpoints throughout the inquiry. We want to inform government policies and school practices that boost children’s mental health and behaviour for everyone’s benefit.”
Back in early May 2022, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, the Department for Education announced a further £7 million for schools and colleges to train a senior mental health lead, bringing the total amount of funding for 2022/23 to £10 million. The DfE stated that Senior Mental Health Leads would ‘play an important role in helping schools and colleges embed a culture of openness when it comes to mental health, whilst also forging stronger links with local health services to ensure young people can access the right level of support’.
This week, to engage with World Mental Health Day, Prime Minister Liz Truss tweeted:
“This country has come a long way in how we talk about mental health, something we can all be proud of. I’m committed to ensuring people get the support they need to thrive, expanding mental health support for children and people getting back into work. #WorldMentalHealthDay”
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East commented:
“These findings from the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition show that additional provision is required to support challenging behaviour and mental health in schools. The last few years have seen North East students go through unprecedented times which of course will be reflected in their mental health. Schools act as a safety net of support for many students and the results of the pandemic have been detrimental for not only students but staff as well. School staff acted as the fourth emergency service throughout the pandemic and the current recruitment and retention crisis can be seen in part as a result of a lack of support for those in education. It’s good to engage with campaigns such as World Mental Health Day but these findings highlight why we need policymakers to make a real commitment to improving the conditions for students and staff.”
The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) represents over 260 charities, academic institutions and professional bodies who come together to campaign for the better mental health of babies, children and young people. Read here for further information: http://cypmhc.org.uk/.
Schools North East Healthy MindED conference will take place on 18 May 2023. Now in its sixth year, the Healthy MindED conference aims to support all roles within schools to understand how best to help the children and young people in their care. With a close connection between mental health and behaviour, the conference will also have a focus on supporting challenging behaviour in schools.
We are now accepting Speaker Applications. Please apply here if you are interested: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf126nTi6uzj2d7i4Z2VNFoTd7ArdRWvNUhMyVGW1vRwbKupQ/viewform
We love to hear good news from North East Schools, to share your news with Schools North East please tag @SchoolsNE on Twitter or apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGgTpbLixAqIprwSS2JXd_AFcKYD5Ahtug_ol7BdHDfgHRsw/viewform
