More Pupils Have Mental Health Issues Say School Staff

A report by the BBC says that a survey of school teachers suggests that more pupils have mental health issues than two years ago.

More than one in six said they believed at least a quarter of students in their school or college were affected by mental health problems.

Almost 90% said staff have had to provide more support for these pupils over the past two years, while 43% said they had been finding it harder to access services for pupils with mental illness.

One head of department at a Reading secondary school said local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services were "completely overwhelmed". 

You can read more about this story here.

UK Weak In School Fairness Leagues

Photograph by flickingerbrad

The UK is below average in an international comparison of social mobility within school systems according to analysis by the OECD.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) produces rankings of school performance - but it has now published an analysis of fair opportunities for pupils.

It shows that Shanghai in China, South Korea and Finland are among top performers in both results and equity.

The UK is successful in results, but weaker in fairness.

This OECD study compares the reading skills of teenagers against the levels of social equity. You can read more on this story of the BBC News website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21411251

Barnardos Warns Schools Must Tackle The Causes, Not Just The Symptoms Of Unruly Behaviour

Official Department of Education figures, released last week show that pupils with special educational needs are around nine times more likely to be permanently excluded than those with none – up from eight times the previous year.

Barnardos have warned that schools must tackle the causes and not just the symptoms of unruly behaviour. The call comes ahead of a new two part Channel 4 documentary which follows children from one of its specialist schools. The first episode is tonight (Tuesday 31st July) at 10.00 pm on Channel 4.

You can read more about this programme & view some clips on the Channel 4 website here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/lost-children

Homophobia In Schools Needs To Be Taken More Seriously

Homophobic bullying in schools needs to be taken more seriously, according to gay rights charity Stonewall. The report, the organisation's first on the issue for five years, also says despite progress being made, there is more to be done.

The organisation surveyed 1,614 lesbian, gay and bisexual people between the ages of 11-19. Fifty-five per cent said they were targeted because of their sexuality.

The government says it is doing more to tackle homophobia in schools. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has welcomed the report but agrees more needs to be done.

You can read more on this story on the BBC Newsbeat website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/18705431

Social Determinants Of Health & Well-being Among Young People

The World Health Organisation has published a new report which looks at how health and well-being inschool-aged children in determined by their social circumstances.

The report gives the results of the 2009/2010 HBSC survey, covering 39 countries and regions across the European Region and North America. It collected data from 11, 13 and 15-year-olds on 60 topics related to their health and well-being, social environments and behaviour. Responding to the survey, the young people described their social context (relations with family, peers and school), physical health and satisfaction with life, health behaviours (patterns of eating, tooth brushing and physical activity) and risk behaviours (use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, sexual behaviour, fighting and bullying). Statistical analyses were carried out to identify meaningful differences in the prevalence of health and social indicators by gender, age group and levels of family affluence.

The report is available to view here: http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/Life-stages/child-and-adolescent-health/publications/2012/social-determinants-of-health-and-well-being-among-young-people.-health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-hbsc-study

Alarms About Malnutrition As More Children Turn Up To School Hungry

A study by the Prince’s Trust and the Times Educational Supplement suggests that growing numbers of children are turning up at school malnourished, dirty and struggling to concentrate because of increasing poverty. The survey of 515 teachers from schools across England is the latest to highlight the impact increasing poverty is having on children. According to the research, the most effective methods of helping deprived pupils cope with the impact of poverty is to provide them with mentors, However, two fifths of teachers said they did not have enough support to do this.

You can read about the research here: http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about_the_trust/headline_news/national_news_2012/1204_teacher_survey.aspx