More support is needed to help with pupil’s mental health, union says

Union NASUWT has called on the government to ensure that schools have better access to support from mental health professionals.

The call comes after an NASUWT survey last month revealed 98 per cent of teachers knew of pupils in their school experiencing mental health problems.

Teachers reported that on a daily basis they were dealing with pupils experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, depression and eating disorders, and in extreme cases even self-harm and suicidal thoughts, yet accessing expert external psychological support for students was becoming increasingly difficult.

Over half of 2,000 teachers responding to the survey (54 per cent) said they were fairly confident they would recognise the signs of a possible mental health problem in their pupils.

However, more than three quarters (76 per cent) said they were not confident they would be able to get timely support from expert services such as CAMHS (children and adolescent mental health services).

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “Teachers and school leaders take very seriously their duty of care to their students and it is clear there is a great deal of concern in the profession about the gulf in the availability of expert psychological support and counselling for pupils with mental health needs.

“While teachers are committed to doing all they can to support their pupils, they are not trained health professionals, and as a nation we are putting their long-term health and prospects at risk if we don’t provide them with access to the specialist support they need as soon as possible.”