Whose Responsibility is it Anyway? Pupil Mental Health in a Scottish Secondary School

Abstract

Under Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, the health and wellbeing of school pupils is the ‘Responsibility of All’. Mental health is included in this though the extent to which secondary teachers feel confident to deal with the many and varied issues which their pupils present with is less clear. This pilot study seeks to explore the potential gap between the responsibilities that are assigned to Scottish secondary teachers and the responsibilities that they assume. A questionnaire, interviews and focus group were used to garner the views of a group of secondary teachers. Thematic analysis of the data allowed for an exploration of how the role of the secondary teacher with regard to mental health is perceived by those dealing with pupils on a daily basis. Views varied considerably illustrating that the complexity surrounding these issues should not be underestimated.