SECONDARY NEWS Year 10 pupils found to have lowest levels of wellbeing
Analysis from The Children’s Society has highlighted a troubling pattern among 14-15 year olds in the UK. A significant proportion of Year 10 students have low levels of wellbeing, with one in 7 (15.3%) reporting this - more than among other year groups in secondary education.
This concerning statistic reflects a broader issue that extends throughout the secondary school years, where students never quite regain the happiness levels of their primary school days.
The charity’s report, One Small Step? reveals that one in 7 (15.3%) Year 10 pupils have low wellbeing and that young people experience lower wellbeing on average throughout their time in secondary school.
The research is consistent with findings from the most recent Good Childhood Report which showed a higher percentage of 15-year-olds were unhappy with a number of aspects of their lives than at any of the other ages examined.
The report takes a close look at the association between moments of educational transition and reductions in wellbeing and also finds that, as well as Year 10 being a moment of concern, 14.7% of young people have low wellbeing in Year 12, and 1 in 8 (12.7%) in Year 11.
The disparity between genders is stark and extends into later transitional school years, with girls in Years 9 and 12 having lower average happiness with school, their relationships with friends, use of time, and what may happen to them in the future, and lower
overall wellbeing than boys. Almost one in 5 girls (19.0%) in Year 12 experience low wellbeing compared to almost 1 in 10 boys (9.6%). Patterns for girls in different school years further emphasise the difficulties for girls following transitions, with girls in Year 7 having lower average wellbeing scores than their counterparts in Year 6 (6.7 compared to 7.3 (on a scale of 0 to 10) respectively). Average happiness with school is also lower among females in Year 7 (6.9 on a scale of 0 to 10) than those in Year 6 (7.8); while for males in these school years, the difference in average scores is more modest (7.2 in Year 7 and 7.5 in Year 6 for happiness with school).
Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said: “It’s alarming that we are seeing this ongoing crisis in children’s wellbeing with young people struggling with key transition moments during secondary school and girls in particular finding it harder than boys.
“We know the education system is under significant pressure and it is vital that schools and school leaders are properly supported with necessary resources, guidance and capacity to deliver a more wellbeing-integrated, transition-focused level of support.
“The new Parliament offers an opportune moment to reinvigorate a focus on educational transitions and we are calling for a universal measurement of children’s wellbeing to inform policy at a national and local level, and a full roll-out of Mental Health Support Teams and Senior Mental Health Lead training across all schools with a wider focus on children’s wellbeing.”
Education Endowment Foundation response to GCSE results
The new term is now underway, following the August publication of the 2024 GCSE results by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). The cohort of students receiving their results would have been in year seven of secondary school when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK in early 2020.
Early data from the results today has shown that: • 67.6% of pupils received a standard pass grade (4/C) or above. This figure is down on last year (68.2%) but higher than in 2019 (67.3%). This means that nearly a third of pupils may be facing resits depending on the subject they have secured a 4 or lower in.
• The figures have also demonstrated the regional differences in grades for pupils. London and the South East saw the highest proportion of pupils receiving the top grades of 7 or higher (London 28.5%, South East 24.7%) whereas the North East has the lowest proportion (17.8%). This represents a wider trend where areas with higher child poverty levels see poorer educational outcomes for young people in their area compared to more affluent regions.
Reacting to the results, Chris Paterson, co-CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said: “Today is a momentous day for pupils receiving their GCSE results and the teachers that have supported them through years of hard work. This cohort had those crucial early years secondary school disrupted by the pandemic, so deserve our congratulations and support.
“These results are passports to future opportunities, whether in employment, training, or education. So, it is of particular concern to see the north / south divide at this level, reaffirming that our education system is not a level playing field. Similarly, the large gap at top grades between comprehensive and
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www.education-today.co.uk September 2024
independent schools is further indication of the entrenched inequality in our system. Fulfilling your potential at school shouldn’t be down to your postcode or how much your parents earn but sadly, this still has a major impact on attainment.
“The trends in results today should act as a guiding light to the new government as they determine their priorities for education reform.”
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