Mental health in schools and academies – creating a positive learning environment
02/02/2025
Children's mental health awareness week takes place from the 3rd-9th February this year. Schools and academies across the country will be getting involved in initiatives aimed at addressing some of the contributing factors to poor mental health among young people.
As we have previously reported, concerns about stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges in schools have increased significantly in recent years – not only among pupils but teachers too – prompting calls for better support and earlier intervention.
Poor mental health can have wide-ranging impacts, not least in relation to attendance. Nearly 9 out of 10 secondary school leaders surveyed last year said their school had seen a marked increase in student absence related to mental health issues. An increasing number of teachers are also taking time off work – with the number of teacher absences due to wellbeing or mental health issues reportedly doubling over the last three years.
This backs up wider workplace trends – research commissioned by Zurich found that across a range of industry sectors, mental health issues are the biggest single cause of long-term sickness absence, being a factor in 44% of all such absences.
The drivers of poor mental health and wellbeing in schools are complex and wide-ranging. Among staff, issues frequently cited by teachers include stress, anxiety, burnout, worries about pupil and parent behaviour, and concerns about the level of support available for children outside school.
Among pupils, the causes of mental ill-health are perhaps even more complex. However, evidence suggests that one of the challenges is that many young people feel they are not adequately supported in school. A survey of 10,000 pupils in England found that well over a third (37%) reported not feeling recognised, respected, or supported in school.
How is Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 addressing these challenges?
The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week – Know Yourself, Grow Yourself – reflects a desire to improve young people’s understanding of themselves and build their resilience.
The Children’s Mental Health Week website has a range of downloadable resources that schools can use throughout the week – including classroom activities and games, show-and-tell exercises, and assembly ideas. Resources are tailored to both primary and secondary age groups.
These resources aim to help children better understand their emotions, including how they feel about themselves and others around them, and to foster a safe and supportive environment for young people to discuss these topics.
Promoting mental health in schools and academies – the longer-term view
Events like Children’s Mental Health Week are a great opportunity for schools to explore key topics and themes related to mental health in an interactive and engaging way.
But they are only one small part of the jigsaw.
In a previous News & Insight article, we discussed 5 ways schools can promote positive mental health and wellbeing all year round, from providing access to support services to promoting peer support networks, as well ensuring that teachers and staff have training opportunities to improve their understanding of how to identify and respond to mental health concerns.
How can Zurich help?
Natalie Bate, Head of Education, Charities & Social Organisations for Zurich Municipal, has said:
"Having recently transitioned into the education sector, I am more passionate than ever about the role we play in shaping the future of our young people. I truly believe that every child deserves a safe and supportive place to learn. For me, mental health is at the core of this mission. We need to keep working hard to ensure that every child and educator has access to the support they need to thrive, both in and out of the classroom"
We offer a range of resources to help schools and academies promote mental health and wellbeing among staff and pupils alike.
Our Safer Schools app is an award-winning digital safeguarding ecosystem, available free of charge to schools and academies that have an insurance programme with Zurich Municipal. It includes a range of resources tailored to different members of school and academy communities, including pupils, staff, parents and carers. One of the features of Safer Schools is a set of CPD-certified training courses, covering topics such as mental health awareness, teacher-targeted bullying and appropriate use of social media.
If your school or academy is insured with Zurich, your employees and their family members will also have access to a free and confidential health and wellbeing service, including face-to-face counselling sessions.
Mental health articles and insights
We have also published a number of articles on mental health related topics, including some specifically relating to schools and academies.
