Education industry experts urge the new government Education Secretary to prioritise children’s mental health

Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) has been appointed as the new Government Education Secretary, replacing Gavin Williamson, who had held the position since July 2019 (@hst).

Organisations are urging the new Education Secretary to prioritise mental health and wellbeing in schools, amidst recent research revealing that a fifth (22%) of parents reported that their child’s mental health deteriorated during the pandemic. 

Rosalyn Sword, education sector specialist at the leading online training provider, High Speed Training, commented:

“It is imperative that the new Education Secretary places a huge focus on children’s mental health and wellbeing, with parents admitting that their children have suffered greatly throughout the pandemic.

“At High Speed Training, we have seen a 100% increase in the number of people taking child mental health courses in the last 18 months. It is fantastic to see an increase in people being upskilled in this area and taking the steps towards providing children with solid foundations for positive mental wellbeing. It’s now time that this issue comes to the forefront on the government’s priority list, to ensure that the next generation are supported through what has been an extremely difficult couple of years.”