In the latest survey of National Education Union members, conducted ahead of Annual Conference in Brighton, 9,793 teacher members were asked about the state of mental health among their students.
We found that:
- Around two thirds (68 per cent) of secondary school teachers are ‘regularly’ seeing absenteeism due to student mental ill-health.
- Three quarters of respondents (76 per cent) are regularly seeing their students experiencing social difficulties.
- Exam anxiety is overwhelming in secondary schools, where 99 per cent of teachers can bear witness. Of these, 72 per cent told us it is seen ‘regularly’.
- 78 per cent of secondary teachers and 45 per cent in primaries are seeing students with eating disorders at least ‘occasionally’.
- Teachers reporting their school does not have a counsellor has risen from 29 per cent to 40 per cent in just three years. Astonishingly, more than half of respondents in special schools and PRUs (54 per cent) report they do not have one.
- Just 20 per cent of teachers said that the existing in-school mental health support at their school was sufficient.
Signs of mental ill-health
We asked teacher members to identify the signs of mental ill-health they have seen among their pupils over the past year.
In many areas the signs are commonplace, with around half or more confirming that social difficulties (76 per cent), chronic anxiety, exam anxiety and absenteeism (all 48 per cent) are observed ‘regularly’ at their school.
One told us, "Students can't cope with the stress, I have never seen more illness, tears, anxiety, withdrawal as I am seeing now. There is too much on their shoulders and no support, far too many exams, mocks, deadlines that are unachievable."
These figures often vary according to phase. For example, respondents working in secondary schools are more likely to report exam anxiety as a regular sign (72 per cent) – far higher than those in primary schools (27 per cent). The levels of absenteeism brought on by mental ill-health and seen regularly is far higher in secondary schools (68 per cent) than primary schools (28 per cent) or special schools and PRUs (49 per cent).
Teachers in secondary schools observe eating disorders at least occasionally (78 per cent), but the equivalent figure for primary schools is also concerning (45 per cent).
Self-harm is now more common, with 41 per cent of teachers in special schools or PRUs telling us it is ‘regularly’ seen. This is up from 34 per cent when we last asked the question in 2024. In the same settings 51 per cent this year told us that self-harm was seen ‘occasionally’, meaning that only the remaining 8 per cent of respondents in special schools and PRUs said it was never witnessed. Self-harm is more likely to be ‘occasionally’ observed in primaries (44 per cent) and secondaries (62 per cent), but it is reported as ‘regularly’ seen by 5 per cent and 25 per cent in those respective phases.
Specialist provision
Specialist support and in-house provision is essential to meeting the needs of students when tackling the signs of mental ill-health. Our next question revealed that even when provision exists, it is often inadequate.
A low minority – rarely more than one in ten – report that they have a specific specialist provision and it is adequate for the needs of their school. Primary schools were least likely to have each type of provision.
The situation for schools in general appears to be worsening. Compared to when we last asked this question in 2023, the numbers of teachers reporting not having access to certain forms of support has risen.
Three years ago, less than a third of respondents (29 per cent) told us they did not have access to a school counsellor. Now that is two-fifths (40 per cent) and in addition almost half of respondents tell us they have access to a counsellor but it is ‘not enough’ (49 per cent). Secondary schools are more likely to have one than not, but 65 per cent told us their resource was not enough. More than half of respondents in special schools and PRUs (54 per cent) report they do not have one, which is significant as a counsellor or mental health specialist is essential in these settings. This is clearly heading in the wrong direction, especially when the government has committed to a mental health professional in every school.
The number of teachers with support from a school nurse has also dropped. In 2023, 70 per cent of teachers told us they had access to one. That figure is now down to 63 per cent.
Learning support assistants are the most widely available provision, but more are needed for 83 per cent of respondents. This rose to 86 per cent in secondaries, but the picture is a little better in special schools and PRUs where 19 per cent felt they had what they need. Overall, 11 per cent have none at all.
One teacher told us, “I think staff in schools should be trained more but we are not specialists in these areas and need expert support that is not easily accessible.”
Another despaired, “External services are excellent but the limitations of who they are allowed to ‘accept’ referrals for now is so ridiculously small that there is very rarely any point making them. There is absolutely no mental health support that is neuro-affirming and appropriate for our autistic children - who are the largest proportion of children who have mental health difficulties.”
What is needed?
Teachers know their students well and can quickly recognise the approaches needed to support their mental wellbeing. As our survey shows, however, there is a gap between supply and demand.
Not one of the above options is in place for the majority of respondents: all chart well below 50 per cent.
Specialist support is viewed as being vital, with 86 per cent choosing both in-school support (such as counsellors) and local services (e.g. CAMHS and NHS mental health teams). In both cases less than a quarter of respondents have access right now (20 per cent and 24 per cent respectively) which is a result of school budgets and local authority cuts through successive governments.
"Waiting lists for assessments can take years, by which time the child may even have left our school. This is unacceptable."
"I could do with a full-time speech and language assistant. Currently we cannot provide more than one block of therapy per year for the children on the caseload."
"The system has become reliant on schools to fill the gap left by lack of funding for other services."
The more accessible options are those which are typically more in the gift of schools to organise, but this is still within significant budget restraints. Teachers tell us that their school provides training for staff (32 per cent), trauma-informed practice (39 per cent) and channels for students to self-identify mental health worries (43 per cent). The last of these has risen from 35 per cent when we last asked the question in 2022.
‘Belonging’ approaches are important, too, with 71 per cent of teachers agreeing. The government advocates this approach in its White Paper so it is hoped this will have a positive impact on the prevalence in schools, which currently sits at just one in three (31 per cent).
Although 42 per cent told us they felt a broad curriculum was maintained in their school, the open comment boxes revealed a widely held view that a restrictive curriculum often fails to support individual learning needs.
One teacher said: “The primary curriculum is not fit for purpose. The awe and wonder which inspired a love of learning has disappeared. The lack of time to spend embedding emotional literacy is appalling.”
Another: "I think a diverse curriculum where all students can find something that interests them and that they can do well at is essential. Too many students have skills and qualities that are not celebrated or brought out by the current narrow curriculum and therefore feel that they have nothing to contribute."
Although the recent review of the curriculum has recommended some positive changes, the proposed addition of an extra test for reading in Year 8 will lead to more anxiety for pupils. It remains the case that less than half of respondents felt their school was able to deliver a broad curriculum for students.
Commenting on the findings of the survey, Daniel Kebede,general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Schools are unable to keep pace with the obvious acceleration in the levels of mental health support needed by young people. Demand clearly outstrips the available resources. In many cases, this rules out early and timely intervention for students.
“Teachers are crying out for nurses, mental health leads, and quicker access to CAMHS support in schools. The majority tell us they have none of these. The rest tell us they do, but it isn’t enough.
“The government should levy a windfall tax on the social media giants to pay for adequate mental health services for young people.
“The government should also reflect on its role in ensuring that the curriculum is broad and engaging. Operating schools as if they are exam factories drives young people to disengage, to give up on their learning or feel anxious. Teachers are very frustrated that the current curriculum is not fit for purpose.”
Editor’s Note
The online survey of National Education Union members was conducted between 5-16 February 2026.
We received responses from teachers, support staff and other members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This release focuses on the responses from 10,311 teachers and 2,996 support staff in English state schools, reweighted by personal and professional characteristics in line with data from the most recent School Workforce Census.
Deprivation is calculated using IDACI bands, band 1 corresponds to the least deprived schools and band 5 to the most.
For reweighting purposes, teachers in state-funded primary and state-funded nursery schools are counted together, as this is how they are recorded in the School Workforce Census. However, state nursery teachers represent only 0.3% of the primary and nursery sample, and so although the group name is used in full in the charts, we mostly refer to this group as “primary” in the text.