TEXT 1
Anxiety has kept 28% of UK children away from school
Many children in the UK are missing school because
they feel too anxious, according to a new survey. Research
by stem4, a mental health charity for young people, found
that 28% of children aged between 12 and 18 had missed
school in the last year because of anxiety. The charity is
asking the government, the health service and schools to do more to help pupils with their mental health.
More than 1,000 young people were surveyed, and
almost half said that they were suffering from a mental
health difficulty. Experts say that the problems have gotten
worse since the coronavirus pandemic. At the moment, 38%
of schools in England have a mental health support team.
But the government has said that it wants to increase that to
at least 50% by the end of March 2025, as well as training
teachers and giving more money to the health service.
However, the survey also found that it is not only
mental health that is keeping children away from school.
Almost a quarter of children aged between 12 and 18 have
missed school because of family problems, while 18% have
stayed away because of problems with friends or other
pupils. The stress of exams was also given as a reason for
missing school.
Nihara Krause, the founder of stem4, said that spending
a lot of time away from school can have long-lasting
negative effects on children.
Adapted from: https://engoo.com.br/app/daily-news/article/anxiety-has-kept-28-
of-uk-children-away-from-school/LY6CWsQ1Ee6_G7_OKvNYDg