The move from primary to secondary school is a big transition - and not always an easy one.
Children face challenges such as larger schools, multiple teachers, and concerns about bullying and discipline, which can lead to changes in their mental health. Unfortunately, only a small proportion of children with probable mental health conditions get treatment at this age, and those that do face long waiting times for support.
The Middle Years Project (a collaboration between Mental Health Innovations and the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London) was designed to understand the mental health experiences of students in years 6-8 and to explore where students go for support when things feel tough.
We started by conducting a survey with 248 students across five schools in England, which was followed by a series of focus groups across two schools to dive deeper into the emerging themes.
The infographic below shares our key learnings from the study. The infographic was designed by our Young People’s Advisory Group, who have been working with us throughout the project to ensure the activities were child-friendly and focused on what matters most to children. Building on the insights from this study, Mental Health Innovations is actively exploring ways to improve mental health support services for this age group.
