May 28, 2019, E-Counseling.com: One Out of Four Primary Pupils in UK Has ‘Hidden’ Social and Mental Health Difficulties? https://www.e-counseling.com/news/one-out-of-four-primary-pupils-in-uk-has-hidden-social-and-mental-health-difficulties/ A recently conducted study shows that a quarter of primary pupils have hidden social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. It can be quite challenging to spot pupils who behave well but are lacking in self-esteem or confidence, research shows. This mental issues could be low self-esteem, and a lack of emotional security in the school, as well as a mistrust of adults. The head of research for the charity Nurture the UK, Florence Ruby, conducted the study. She said: “In one classroom, there are perhaps three or four quite challenging pupils. Teachers notice them…. This study, conducted over four terms in 25 primary schools in England, involved teachers assessing the social, emotional, and mental health needs of more than 6,800 pupils…. They included 26 percent of children who were found to have primarily hidden moderate SEMH needs. The usual difficulty experienced by these pupils was low self-esteem or a lack of emotional security in the school. It manifests itself as mistrust of adults or trouble asking for help when needed. Dr. Ruby said that schools had previously assumed that roughly one in 10 of their pupils had SEMH needs. … She further added that it was necessary for pupils to be given the right support for their needs. “There’s a lot of pressure around children at the moment – results, the pressure to do well at school, and not necessarily the right kind of support at home,” she said. … The chief executive of Nurture UK, Kevin Kibble, said: “We must help teachers identify and support children with SEMH needs, before issues escalate, harming their education and potentially leading to exclusion.”
