National Education publishes a file on students’ mental health – VousNous Ils

Mental health is a big hot topic. Today we celebrate the World Mental Health Day. In addition, Prime Minister Michel Barnier wants to do it mental health the big national cause 2025. There is an emergency. The mental health of children and young people is declining in fact for several years and it is becoming worrying, we read on the file “Taking action to improve students’ mental health and wellbeing” published in October 2024 by the Ministry of National Education.

Scary figures

Some of the figures are truly frightening: 13% of children aged 6 to 11 that a mental health disorder is likely, and 24% of high school students reported suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months.

By the way, hospital for self-injurious acts (ie attempted suicide or non-suicidal self-harm such as cuts, burns, punches against a wall, etc.) has increased significantly since 2010, especially among young girls aged 10 to 14: with increase in psychiatric hospitalizations after an act of self-injury of 246% between 2010-2019 and 2021-2022…

We also read in the National Education file that results fromstudy of May 2024 from the Department of Research, Research, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) with Santé Publique France “shows that the increase in self-injurious acts among adolescents and young women affects all methods of operation with overdose of voluntary drug poisoningwhich represents two thirds of their hospitalizations, followed by injuries caused by a sharp object and more violent actions (hanging, jumping from a height).

Health promotion schools

In this context, the school has a vital role to play. So the file remembers that educational institutions must equip themselvesmental health protocol. They can also get involved in the process School of health promotion. The explanation given by the Ministry of National Education is as follows: ” Launched in January 2020, The Health Promotion School (EPSa) approach is part of a continuum health education pathway. Its aim is to encourage the activities and projects already implemented and to communicate them with other approaches (school climate, sexuality and food education for example) by include in the school or institution project. This is about contributing to the development of a common culture around healthto make visible and coordinate what unites around the health and well-being of all in a school or educational institution. »

The goals of a health-promoting school are to “promote the health, well-being and academic success of all students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, based on the following areas:
● Improve the conditions of daily life within a school and educational institution, by
paying special attention to it accommodation ;
● Pay special attention to interpersonal and social relationships ;
● Support the core values ​​of the School of Health Promotion approach, including fairness,
inclusion, non-discrimination and social justice ;
● Contribute to success and make learning easier;
● Integrating health into the daily activities of the schoolin the school curriculum and in the criteria
evaluation of educational projects and educational activities for health;
● Engage the student in the projects and activities of the Health Promotion School, making him an actor and
responsible by encouraging reflection on the challenges that individuals, collective and
environmental

Concretely, a school that promotes health will work, for example, on the banning of dangerous games, on the improvement of accommodation (in particular). the sanitary facilities) and buildings, to encourage daily physical activity.

Work of all actors in National Education

Finally, this work is only possible as a team and including all stakeholders in the education community.

Source: DGESCO, Ministry of National Education and Youth