One in four Year 8 students meet mental health disorder threshold

Growing Up in the 2020s is following thousands of Year 8 students in England through secondary school and into early adulthood

One in four Year 8 students in England met the criteria for a probable mental health disorder in the first findings from a new national longitudinal study tracking young people through secondary school and into early adulthood.

Growing Up in the 2020s is part of the Department for Education ’s Education Outcome Pathway Studies program and establishes a nationally representative baseline of life for 12- and 13-year-olds in England. The first wave draws on information from 7,811 young people alongside data from parents, teachers, cognitive assessments and administrative education records.

The findings present a mixed picture. Most young people reported positive relationships, relatively high life satisfaction and a successful transition into secondary school, while sizeable minorities were experiencing problems with mental health, attendance, physical activity and school belonging.