Special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) do not have enough counsellors to meet the mental health needs of children, according to a new survey.
A poll of almost 10,000 teachers, who are members of the National Education Union (NEU), found that 40% of members said their school did not have a counsellor – an increase from 29% three years ago.
However, this rose to half among staff working in special schools and PRUs.
The study asked teachers to identity the signs of mental ill-health they had spotted among pupils in the past year.
More than two-thirds of secondary school teachers said they “regularly” observed absenteeism among pupils due to mental ill-health, and three-quarters noticed their students experiencing social problems.
Schools are unable to keep pace with the obvious acceleration in the levels of mental health support needed by young people
Exam anxiety was showing up as an “overwhelming” problem in secondaries and was cited by 99% of respondents.
One teacher said: “Students can’t cope with the stress, I have never seen more illness, tears, anxiety, withdrawal as I am seeing now.
“There is too much on their shoulders and no support, far too many exams, mocks, deadlines that are unachievable.”
Almost eight out of ten teachers in secondary schools, and 45% in primaries, saw students with eating disorders at least “occasionally”. Almost 70% had seen signs of self-harm.
Just one in five respondents said existing in-school mental health support at their school was sufficient to meet demand.
Lack of counsellors
Three years ago, less than a third of respondents said they did not have access to a school counsellor. Now that is 40% with half of respondents saying they have access to a counsellor, but it is ‘not enough’.
More than half of respondents in special schools and PRUs – 54% – reported their pupils did not have access to one.
“This is significant as a counsellor or mental health specialist is essential in these settings,” the report said.
“This is clearly heading in the wrong direction, especially when the government has committed to a mental health professional in every school.”
Daniel Kebede, the NEU’s general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Schools are unable to keep pace with the obvious acceleration in the levels of mental health support needed by young people.
“Demand clearly outstrips the available resources. In many cases, this rules out early and timely intervention for students.
“Teachers are crying out for nurses, mental health leads, and quicker access to CAMHS support in schools. The majority tell us they have none of these. The rest tell us they do, but it isn’t enough.
“The government should levy a windfall tax on the social media giants to pay for adequate mental health services for young people.”
