Why wellbeing matters

Research shows that schools and assessment have a significant role in the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

Key findings

• 50% of all lifetime cases of mental health difficulties have their first onset by age 14¹.
• Mental health and wellbeing in adolescence predicts adult health, labour market and other outcomes².
• The wellbeing of adolescents has decreased in the last two decades, while the prevalence of mental health difficulties among them has increased^3,4.
• Of 79 countries surveyed, adolescents in the UK were in the bottom four in terms of life satisfaction⁵.

Why school matters for mental health and wellbeing

• School is the primary developmental context after the family⁶.
• Many key influences on mental health and wellbeing operate in and through school, such as bullying⁷.
• Teachers are the 'first port of call' when parents worry about their child’s mental health⁸.
• Young people’s mental health and their learning are inter-related⁹.
• The Department for Education sees schools as central to the promotion of mental health and wellbeing¹⁰.

What gets assessed gets addressed

• Assessment and monitoring of mental health and wellbeing can help schools to identify the needs of the student population, inform their decision making about priorities for action and evaluate the success of their efforts¹¹.
• However, less than half of schools in England collect mental health and wellbeing data of any kind, and those that do tend to use homegrown surveys that may not be reliable or valid¹².
• Other countries focus on, and are successful with, policy on both wellbeing and attainment – notably Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The importance of mental health in the recovery process

• The COVID-19 crisis has impacted upon young people in ways that are not yet fully understood, with apparently conflicting reports of significant increases¹³ and decreases¹⁴ in mental health difficulties during the lockdown period.
• It is therefore crucial to comprehensively capture the voices and experiences of Greater Manchester’s young people in the COVID-19 response in order for our community and regional economy to 'build back fairer' – the programme will do so on an unprecedented scale.
• The framework will help schools and localities to identify needs, inform decision making about priorities for action, and evaluate the success of their efforts.
• Other stakeholders within and beyond Greater Manchester will also be able to take advantage of the data generated, creating the potential for national influence and significantly improved service delivery for young people.

Case studies

Find out more about our work with local schools in Greater Manchester.