The Schools Health Education Unit, based in Exeter since 1977, has just released a major report about the emotional health and wellbeing of young people.
Headline Findings
ο Boys had significantly higher self-esteem than girls; this difference becomes more marked as children get older.
ο The oldest girls (Year 10, 14-15yo) score less well than all other groups for self-esteem, resilience, worrying (for any topic and multiple topics), satisfaction with life and social confidence.
Trends
ο Worrying about school-work increased among all groups since 2002, especially among 14-15yo girls.
ο Self-esteem seems stable or improving in the primary phase, but self-esteem among 14-15 yo girls has declined in the last decade.
Angela Balding, Surveys Manager for SHEU, says:
“We believe there is much support in our figures for the widely-held belief that young people’s emotional wellbeing has declined in recent years, as seen in results for self-esteem, satisfaction, and worries.
“This decline is found in secondary school pupils rather than primary school pupils, and most strongly in Year 10 females (14-15yo).
Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Young People into 2019 is available for download on application to SHEU. 
Visit http://sheu.org.uk/ehwb2019 for details.
What about your school?
The data analysed in the report come from SHEU surveys commissioned by local authorities and schools across the UK. If you would like to find out what is going on in your school, contact SHEU on admin@sheu.org.uk or tel.(01392) 66 72 72.
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