Parents look for mental health support when choosing school for teenagers, survey shows

Abu Dhabi: Parents consider mental health support for teenagers as one of the top priorities when choosing a school for teenagers, a Dubai-based school has found in a recent survey.

The survey by the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai found that 70 per cent of parents who were polled were worried about the mental health support their children currently received at school, the British curriculum school said in a statement on Tuesday. In addition, 50.4 per cent of parents who responded wanted to see mental health as a standard part of school curriculums.

The survey was conducted via the Censuswide research firm. The schools said that it is not surprising to see parents’ concern about the effects of the pandemic on children, given the disruption to traditional school life and young people’s learning for more than two years. In fact, the survey discovered that 71.6 per cent of parents believe that their child’s mental health has suffered as a result of the pandemic, and 71.6 per cent of parents believe that home schooling has had a negative impact on their own mental health.

“It is hugely important for us to constantly reach out to our network and community of parents to really understand what they are looking for in a school so we can offer the best possible support. It is no surprise that parents are now looking to schools for mental health support for their children after the pandemic has caused disruption in their learning and social development,” said Clare Turnbull, the school principal.

“Our pupil’s mental health and wellness is our top priority, and mental health awareness is an integral part of the school’s DNA. It is taught in the PSHE curriculum, embodied in the school’s values and our modern and flexible learning environment has nature at its heart to reinforce pupil wellbeing. We are doing everything we can to close the gap in the issues that have been created due to the pandemic,” Turnbull added.