Supporting adolescent emotional health in schools: a mixed methods study of student and staff views in England

Abstract

Background: Schools have been identified as an important place in which to support adolescent emotional health, although evidence as to which interventions are effective remains limited. Relatively little is known about student and staff views regarding current school-based emotional health provision and what they would like to see in the future, and this is what this study explored.

Perspectives of SENCos and support staff in England on their roles, relationships and capacity to support inclusive practice for students with behavioural emotional and social difficulties

“…Not to think that our job is to educate just, it isn't. (SENCo, School B) Consistent with these findings, Kidger et al (2009) conducted a survey of schools across England as well as conducting focus groups and interviews with staff and students in eight of the schools, in order to investigate support for students' emotional health in secondary school. Students emphasised the importance of having someone to talk to when they experienced emotional distress.…”

‘If there’s going to be a subject that you don’t have to do …’ Findings from a mapping study of PSHE education in English secondary schools

“…Other research has also raised issues about the lack of integration of other professionals (non-teachers) into schooling (Kidger et al, 2009;Spratt et al, 2006).…”

‘It’s better to learn about your health and things that are going to happen to you than learning things that you just do at school’: findings from a mapping study of PSHE education in primary schools in England

“…Nevertheless, other interviewees commented that external delivery could be "patchy" in its quality, and not always adequately integrated into other PSHE education delivery, risking the marginalisation of certain elements. This has also been found in relation to other (non-teaching) professionals" roles connected to pupil wellbeing and their lack of integration into and/or "fit" within schools more generally (Kidger et al, 2009;Spratt et al, 2006).…”

“…This appeared to be because of the immediate relevance it had for their own lives, as most were active users of social networking sites at home (teachers also raised this issue in areas where there were high levels of computer ownership locally). However, in a minority of schools, pupils were vocal about certain issues becoming "repetitive" or "boring", also found in some other research linked to PSHE education or its individual elements (Kidger et al, 2009). This is likely to relate to weaker delivery, rather than boredom with the subject(s) per se, as evidenced by more positive comments above.…”