I sent my friend a text yesterday asking whether Izzy, (not her real name) would be going to dance classes next week so that we could arrange sharing lifts. Her response – “She should be unless she’s drowning under homework! I can’t believe on her first day back yesterday they set 2 lots of homework to be done for SATs prep and be taken back in this morning.” Izzy is in Year 6 at a local primary school.

I resigned from my teaching post in 2001 when I had been a mother for 2 years and I found that I could not have the work-life balance that I really wanted and achieve the standards of teaching being demanded of me whilst desperately wanting to be a good parent too. Hats off to those people who do manage that balance and thank goodness for them, otherwise our schools would be woefully short of teachers. When I rang the union to cancel my subscription, I was told that I’d be added to the, “ever-growing list.”

I believe that my eldest daughter’s mental health issues which started in Year 6, were at least partly caused by the testing system that we have in this country. I am not blaming our fantastic teachers or schools for one minute, but the politicians (from every party) who have invented and upheld this system for what is now too many years.

Research by Childline shows the main concerns of the children using their service since it was launched in 1986. The main reason for children calling then was sexual abuse. This changed to bullying in the mid-nineties and by 2013 the most prevalent reason for calling is unhappiness and low self-esteem. Surely this is partially fuelled by the academic pressure that we put on children from such a young age?

I would struggle to return to working in a system which contributes to children’s unhappiness. In a 2015 OECD survey of 15-year-olds, the UK ranked 23rd out of 28 OECD countries for life satisfaction (OECD. PISA 2015 Results Students’ well-being Volume III (Internet) 2017) and 20% of primary school children suffer from a low sense of wellbeing (Morrison-Gutman L. Mmvii Feinstein L. Children’s Wellbeing in Primary School: Pupil and School Effects (Internet 2008) Cited 10.7.17). Over half of mental ill health start by the age of 15 and 10% of children and young people experience a diagnosable mental health disorder (Department of Health, Department for Children S and F. Healthy lives, brighter futures (Internet 2009) Cited 16.5.17), we really need to tackle the issues which are causing these problems.

Some contributing risk factors for poor mental health cannot be changed but the amount of academic pressure that our children are under is not one of them. In the meantime, what can we do to support our children and young people? By training as a Mental Health First Aider, you are well on the way to being equipped to do just that. You will learn about a range of mental illnesses and a strategy to help, just as you would in physical first aid. Please enquire for more details!