Mental health and anxiety: Where are we now?
In 2022, we commissioned a survey into the mental health of pupils post-pandemic and the results showed a significant increase in anxiety and poor mental health.
Our research showed that almost half (49%) of teachers felt pupils were coping worse with exam pressure in 2022 than in previous years. 70% of teachers chose ‘anxiety’ as their biggest concern for pupils, which had grown from less than two thirds 2 years ago.
Our report showed what many teachers and school leaders were seeing first-hand, the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns were having a disastrous effect on the mental health of our teens.
So where are we now?
2 years on and our report unfortunately still paints an accurate picture of pupil mental health and exam anxiety.
While we continue to best support teens post-pandemic, the effects on mental health are lasting, with recent research showing that 3 in 10 Secondary pupils avoid school due to anxiety.
In fact, many schools nationwide are still struggling with poor attendance, with poor mental well-being a big reason for the post-Covid surge in school absenteeism.
Last year in England, 1 in 10 pupils in Year 11 were absent, which is 70% more than pre-2020.
If you’re looking for ways to better support your pupils with their mental health, anxiety and exam-related stress, our e-book is full of expert, actionable advice on how to do just that.
You can download the e-book here to access our report findings and mental health toolkits, including:
- “Test anxiety what can teachers do about it?”, Prof David Putwain
- “Promoting resilience and better mental health at GCSE”, Dr Jo Taylor
- “What can students tell us about their experience with exam pressure?”, Dr Tamsin McCaldin
