Teach Secondary 14.4

THE TS GUIDE TO… HEALTH & WELLBEING We examine the youth mental health trends schools are having to grapple with; how to lighten the workplace pressures borne by your ECT colleagues – and why schools shouldn’t have to choose between academic success or supportive learning environments... 28 “IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY” Ann Marie Christian considers the magnitude of the mental health and wellbeing challenges students are experiencing, and how schools can effectively respond to them 33 HELPING HANDS With ECTs under more pressure than ever during their trainee year, Amy Sayer looks at what schools can do to support them and keep new recruits within the profession 34 THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Schools don’t have to prioritise academic outcomes over their pupils’ emotional wellbeing, says Alice Guile – not when the two can happily go hand-in-hand... INTHIS SECTION 27 IN FIGURES: HOWHAPPYARE THE COUNTRY’S CHILDREN ANDYOUNG PEOPLE? 25.2% of the UK’s 15-year-olds report having ‘low life satisfaction’ – the highest proportion when compared to their peers in 27 other European countries Source: PISA 2022 14.3% of young people aged 10 to 17 in the UK report being unhappy with their experiences at school 18% of the same group are ‘often’ or ‘always’ worried about their families’ finances Source: The Children’s Society’s household survey (conducted April to June 2024) 3 TEACHWIRE ARTICLES FROM THE ARCHIVES IT’S NOTA LACKOF ‘RESILIENCE’ THATNEEDS FIXING Rather than extol the merits of ‘resilience’ to young people, let’s change our expectations, economics and environment for the better, says Natasha Devon… tiny.cc/144special1 CLOCKING OFF A good work-life balance can be hard to attain, concedes Adam Riches – but we all need to ensure the job doesn’t crowd out our personal space… tiny.cc/144special2 LESS TALKING, MORE DOING Kat Howard explains why wellbeing efforts in schools should involve less discussion and more concerted action tiny.cc/144special3 TEACH SECONDARY SPECIAL HEALTH & WELLBEING 27 teachwire.net/secondary H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G