Schools struggle to get mental health help, says survey

A survey of UK head teachers has found that nearly half are struggling to get mental health support for their pupils. A total of 45% of 655 of school leaders quizzed by children's mental health charity Place2Be said it was a problem. The survey - carried out to mark this week's Children's Mental Health Week - found 44% of head teachers said knowing what type of support was needed was a barrier to them providing mental health support for pupils. And 37% said they did not feel confident in commissioning a counsellor or therapist. The charity also surveyed 1,198 counsellors and psychotherapists currently working in schools and found 34% said providing services in schools was difficult.