IF YOU ARE IN BRITISH EDUCATION AGES 12 - 18+ PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM SO WE KNOW WHAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM NEEDS TO ACT ON! SCHOOL SYSTEM: MENTAL HEALTH

My personal story echoes the silent struggles of countless students around the world. Struggles with mental health issues have been a dominant part of my student life, and in such challenging times, I often felt overlooked, misunderstood, and failed by the school system in place. Instead of being helped, I found myself feeling more harassed, burdened, and distressed. After reaching out to the virtual community of TikTok, I discovered I was not alone in this. There are multitudes of younger students who have also experienced disappointing levels of support concerning their mental health in school.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 10% of children and young people (aged 5 to 16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.

With this petition, we call on educational institutions and relevant authorities to acknowledge this urgent matter and bring about changes in current systems. We urge them to introduce comprehensive mental health support programs in schools, establish an environment of understanding, end policies that lead to student stress and failing mental health, and instead focus on policies that promote mental health awareness.

No student should feel neglected, stressed, or misunderstood. They deserve to focus on their education and personal growth without severe mental distress. Backed by thousands of voices seeking change, we call you to act today. Please sign this petition to help implement comprehensive mental health support in schools.