Young people spend around 32 hours a week in school. A glance at a timetable tells us they’re learning maths, English and science, they’re doing PE, maybe some music and art. They get a couple of breaks to socialise and eat lunch. At around 3.15pm, unless they’ve got clubs, they head home. But, whatever the curriculum says, if you spend time in any school or with any student, you’ll see that this only tells one side of the school story. A lot of life happens here.
The mental health crisis is present in schools
In a classroom of 30, 5 children are likely to have a mental health problem, and waiting lists for support and treatment are often very long.1
The impact of Covid-19 pandemic is still present in schools
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, school absences are increasing across the country, with 140,000 children missing more school than they attend. That is an increase of 137 per cent.2 While for some this may be a deliberate choice, safeguarding reports of abuse in homes and gang activity suggests that, for most of these so-called ‘ghost children’, it is not.
The cost of living crisis is present in schools
Teachers are reporting children pretending to eat from empty lunchboxes and chewing on rubbers to ease their hunger.3 With school budgets also in crisis, and teacher retention rates at their lowest levels ever, there are few internal solutions equal to the problems.4
While these crises are undoubtedly present in our schools, we know that where we are present, we have the opportunity to join in with God, who is already present and allows a different and more hopeful story to emerge.
Sources
- Children’s Mental Health Statistics, accessed 29 June 2023.
- The ‘ghost children’: Thousands are missing school – and COVID made the problem worse, accessed 29 June 2023.
- Shocking research reveals the impact of hunger in schools, 80% of teachers say child hunger is an issue, accessed 29 June 2023.
- Recovery premium: overview, accessed 29 June 2023.
