Dr Andy Hodgkinson, a former primary executive head and now chair of East Cheshire Association of Primary Headteachers – a network to help the area’s heads work in close partnership for the benefit of children, staff and the wider community – says that children today have burdens unknown to his generation.
“Brexit, Grenfell, global warming, cyber-bullying, social media, testing, identity and sexuality – children are dealing with these things on a daily basis. The world that our young people are growing up in is massively different from my childhood experiences,” he told me.
“The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition says that at least three young people in every class have a behavioural or emotional difficulty, and almost half of young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C said they ‘always or often’ feel down or depressed compared to 30 per cent of young people who are more qualified.
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