Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?

March 4, 2024

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This study seeks to explore the potential gap between the responsibilities assigned to Scottish secondary teachers and those they assume. Under Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, the health and well-being of school pupils are deemed the ‘Responsibility of All’.

Addressing Mental Health in Teachers and Students

Many attempts to address mental health in schools have focused on raising awareness among both teachers and pupils. Recent recommendations include avoiding a “deficit model perspective” and embracing “techniques that encourage pupils to feel secure and foster good relations with teachers”. Integrating mental health interventions into daily school life, engaging all staff and parents, and collaborating with outside agencies have also been suggested.

Teachers can succumb to vicarious trauma as they grapple with the demands of dealing with children from traumatized backgrounds. This can lead to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and leaving the profession. Teachers’ emotional health is a key factor in maintaining their dedication, yet data shows that those working in the UK education sector report significantly higher levels of stress, depression, or anxiety compared to other industry sectors. Teachers who feel high levels of responsibility for student mental health often experience increased stress and worry.

The Role of a Teacher

The study consisted of a questionnaire, interviews, and a focus group involving teachers at a comprehensive secondary school near a large Scottish city. The interviews and focus group were semi-structured. Participants had teaching experience ranging from 1 year to over 40 years, some with additional responsibilities within departments or at a whole school level. Data gathered generated a total of 32 possible themes, further split into the following three broad areas/themes for discussion:

1. “It’s everything we do”: Teachers felt that paying attention to pupils’ mental health was a core aspect of their role.
2. “I’m not equipped”: All interviewees highlighted a lack of confidence in their ability to deal with pupils’ mental health issues.
3. “To the detriment of what?”: Educators felt they should ‘be there’ for pupils but also recognized limits to their responsibility for pupils’ mental health as they managed their responsibility for students’ academic success.

More Training is Needed for Teachers

While further investigation is needed to fully understand what teachers mean by “more training”, it’s clear they are asking for deeper knowledge and understanding of how mental health issues manifest in young people, strategies for dealing with these issues, understanding of brain function, and effective listening skills. Teachers noted this training would be most beneficial at the start of their careers and emphasized the importance of improved collaboration and shared language across agencies to provide consistent complimentary services.

Notable Quotes: 

“While the Scottish Government publicises a Responsibility of All approach, this is not enough to ensure that responsibility, in particular for pupil mental health, is felt by all teachers”

“Even those staff who had most experience dealing with pupils’ mental health issues still reported that they felt ‘ill-equipped’ and lacking in confidence describing themselves as having ‘a real case of imposter syndrome’”

“The continuum ranged from agreement that it is (mental health) a fundamental part of the role of any teacher to a refusal to accept it as part of the class teacher’s professional responsibility.”

Personal Takeaway: 

It was an interesting read. It highlights the increased demands placed on teachers beyond academics. It begs the question, just how responsible are teachers for student mental health, and can they be held accountable? —Matt Browne

McKee, C., & Breslin, M. (2022). Whose Responsibility is it Anyway? Pupil Mental Health in a Scottish Secondary School. Scottish Educational Review, 54(1), 49-69.