Why are young people off school?
The new term has started but children around the country are off school. Our latest well-being research shows that pupils are less happy with school than they were ten years ago. We asked Eamon, 18, why he thinks that is.
Eamon quote
There seems to be a crucial mismatch between the values of the pupil and the values of the school.
school and young people well-being facts
1 in 8
young people are unhappy with school
18%
felt they didn't have a say in decisions important to them at school
School pressure
Pressure at school
Eamon thinks schools put too much pressure on young people to think about the future. Questions like ‘where will you be in ten years' time’ essentially ‘wiring the brain for a future crisis.’
He accepts thinking about the future is part of education but believes ‘what you say at the start will most likely not align with what happens by the end, at least not perfectly, and young people understand that.’
So, making young people think about something they can’t truly predict could do more harm than good, especially if their prediction starts to look doubtful.
Too many expectations make your mental health worse Too many expectations make your mental health worse
school authority
School authority
‘Some young people can be distrusting of schools and their systems.’ Authoritarian rules can be suffocating. Zero tolerance policies ‘don’t meld well with young people’.
Young people are more interested in individualism than the collectivism that schools represent. There’s a culture clash.
‘The aim of youth culture is to find out about yourself’. Being part of a school isn’t conducive to this, so young people look to new frameworks. Their personal goals are bigger than representing a school.
Progression at school
‘There is minimal sense of progression in school. You are usually stuck in school for the long haul, eleven years of compulsory education from five years old. The only factors affecting your progression are your age and your performance on highly artificial tests.’
This could lead to a burnout which is never usually taken seriously and can lead to problems in further education.
Children's happiness is declining
Our latest Good Childhood Report shows that young people are becoming more unhappy with school, friends, how they look and their lives as a whole. Many struggled in the pandemic and now worry about the cost of living crisis.
School resource
Looking at the events of the past year, Eamon worries that ‘cuts in educational budget and the effect of Covid’s price hikes on educational equipment’ have made it even harder for schools to provide a good service for students.
'Likelihood of academic success has gone down, creating increased unhappiness with schools, which impacts young people’s mental health and well-being.’
Eamon worries that ‘long term dissatisfaction can cause mental health problems later down the lane’. He’s right. We need change.
Join our campaigns
Children's happiness with school, friends and their lives as a whole is the worst it has been for ten years.
The lasting impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis is putting them and their families under even more pressure.
The government must act now to improve children's well-being.
