After the Storm

Young People’s Mental Health in the UK 2016 – 2025

How a pandemic crashed young people’s mental health and how UK schools responded

The STEER 10th anniversary report into the social-emotional journey of students from 2016-2025.

• 2016-2025
• 11-18 year olds
• 275 schools
• 270,000 students

DOWNLOAD the full report

Report highlights:

• The pandemic super-charged existing mental health concerns and catalysed new types
• Adolescent girls were particularly affected, exhibiting a pattern of self-regulation termed internalised control, with linked mental health disorders.
• Schools provide weaker protective factors for good mental health today than before the pandemic, indicating weaker school belonging
• Transitions are a point of acute vulnerability, in particular the 11+ transition for girls
• A surge in boys’ over-regulation, exceeding girls’ after puberty, points to uncertain and even hostile societal factors toward which boys become vigilant
• Neurodiversity may have become over-diagnosed, putting strain on services
• There is now clear evidence that universal and reactive wellbeing provisions are ineffective and may even be damaging
• By contrast, proactive targeted wellbeing provisions are effective and scalable

Find out more about STEER Education

STEER is an award-winning mental health platform for responsible schools across the world. For over 10 years, we have empowered schools to strengthen student and staff protective factors using our market-leading tracking technology, personalised action plans and proven training programme. Developed in the UK with the evidence of peer review and independent research, STEER puts data-backed guidance at the heart of your school, so you can find and act on safeguarding trends earlier, faster and more effectively without adding to teacher workload.