Half of children would not speak to school staff about mental health concerns, poll suggests

Research finds overwhelming majority of children want wellbeing discussions brought into classroom, writes Tom Batchelor

Nearly a quarter of respondents said the main benefit of discussing mental health at school was that it is easier than talking to family

(Getty)

Around half of school children would not talk to their teacher or other education staff if they were struggling with their mental health, polling suggests.

A survey by the Anna Freud Centre charity found 48 per cent of the more than 3,000 11- 19-year-olds who took part said they would not speak to anyone in school about their concerns.

The number of pupils who said they would not approach school staff was even higher among the younger cohort, with 52 per cent of those in the 11-13 age bracket saying they would not speak to anyone at school.