The new academic year can hail one of excitement; seeing friends after the summer break, starting a new year, and making new friends. For some however, it can be the beginning of a year of dread.

Some of us enjoy school, some of us find it tougher. If you’ve got a problem with school, there are ways to get help.

What’s worrying you?
Everyone worries about things that happen at school from time to time. It’s a rare student who sails through school without experiencing some sort of issue.
There’s a lot of pressure to get good results, and the stresses and strains of school life can sometimes feel too much. The important thing is to recognise there’s a problem to be solved and ask for help as soon as you can. Some school problems you might worry about include:

• Finding schoolwork difficult, or having problems concentrating in class if others are noisy and disruptive
• Tricky relationships with friends and friendship groups
• Not getting on with teachers
• Bullying
• Problems at home – your parents’ relationship, sibling issues, a housing problem or simply feeling unsupported
• Specific difficulties such as dyslexia or ADHD (attention deficit hyper-activity disorder)

How do you feel?
Any of these things can make you feel very unhappy and out of control. You may feel sick, have headaches or stomach aches, or find it hard to get up and get ready for school. Your marks may drop and you could feel less motivated to do homework. You may feel stressed and angry, or withdraw and develop depression and low self-esteem. It may be that you feel these emotions at school, but you are fine when you get home.

Some people may become reluctant to go into school, or even refuse to go at all. In extreme cases, they may truant without their parents knowing, or exhibit behavioural problems such as lying, stealing or being aggressive.

What can you do?
If you’re worried about any aspect of school, it’s important to talk to your parents/carers or a trusted adult about what is bothering you, as soon as possible. They can approach the school to address the problems and work together to help resolve them.

Schools have a set procedure for helping with student problems, and the first port of call will probably be your class teacher or tutor. Schools will also have an anti-bullying policy.

If you have learning difficulties, speak to the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). If you have stopped attending school, an Education Welfare Officer will work with you and your family to support your return to school.

If you think you may have a mental health issue, speak to your GP who can refer you to CAMHS if necessary. When you’re over 11 you can also access youth counselling services. CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and they are the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. CAMHS support covers depression, problems with food, self-harm, abuse, violence or anger, bipolar, schizophrenia and anxiety, to name a few.

There are local NHS CAMHS services around the UK, with teams made up of nurses, therapists, psychologists, support workers and social workers, as well as other professionals. For further information visit www.2gether.nhs.uk/other-areas/cyp
If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person who has school worries, there is help in the form of the Parent’s Helpline (0808 802 5544 – Monday to Friday, 9.30am-4pm) which can give you free, confidential advice and information. They can talk through concerns about your child’s problems at school and suggest ways to get help.