Student wellbeing at the heart of UK education

Schools and universities need to plan how students can find support, how staff respond to concerns and how provision is reviewed. Research published in 2025 offers useful evidence about some approaches, while also showing why programmes need careful implementation and evaluation.

A growing mental health challenge

Over the past decade, rates of anxiety, stress, and depression among young people in the UK have risen sharply. A study led by UCL found that between 2009 and 2019, self-reported symptoms of mental ill-health increased substantially, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Recorded diagnoses did not rise at the same pace, pointing to a widening gap between need and provision (UCL, 2025).

Financial stress adds to this burden. In 2025, English graduates left university with an average debt of £53,000, a 10% rise in a single year. Reporting in 2025 indicated that nearly seven in ten students worked part-time during term, often cutting back on study hours and rest in order to meet rising living costs (Guardian, 2025). For many, the combination of financial strain and academic workload becomes a major wellbeing challenge.

What the research found

A 2025 review led by UCL and Anna Freud combined 71 studies of whole-class mental health sessions, involving more than 63,000 young people aged eight to eighteen. It found small average reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, with sessions informed by cognitive behavioural therapy showing greater benefits for anxiety than mindfulness-based sessions. The researchers stress that the effect of these sessions alone is often small and that they belong within a whole-school approach (UCL, June 2025).

The Education for Wellbeing trial, funded by the Department for Education and run between 2018 and 2024 with 32,000 children in 500 schools in England, found the most promising results for Strategies for Safety and Wellbeing, particularly in mental health literacy and intentions to seek help. Results depended on consistent delivery and on the age and background of the pupils, and two programmes developed outside the UK were associated with a small longer-term increase in emotional difficulties. The researchers advise schools to choose approaches supported by evidence and to monitor their effects within wider school provision (UCL, February 2025).

Policy and funding pressures

The wider financial picture cannot be ignored. Almost half of UK universities were forecasting deficits in 2025, with some warning that core student services may be cut to balance budgets (FT, 2025). At the school level, constant shifts in Department for Education priorities, compounded by teacher shortages, make it difficult to sustain long-term wellbeing programmes. When budgets change, leaders need to understand the implications for staffing, access to support and continuity of provision. Clear priorities and referral arrangements help make those decisions explicit.

The role of technology: promise and pitfalls

Digital services can provide another way for students to find information or request support. Schools and universities need to consider access, confidentiality, response arrangements and who is responsible for following up. A digital contact route should make it clear how a student reaches an appropriate person when further help is needed.

Looking ahead: research and evidence

Growing Up in the 2020s is a longitudinal study tracking thousands of English adolescents. Led by UCL's Centre for Longitudinal Studies, it will provide detailed evidence on wellbeing, education, and life transitions, helping policymakers and schools make better-informed decisions (CLS, 2025). Longitudinal evidence can help distinguish patterns over time. Schools also need to review their own provision through appropriate feedback and information about access to support.

Reviewing wellbeing provision

A review should establish how students access help, whether staff understand their responsibilities and how concerns reach the appropriate professional. Involve students, families and relevant staff in understanding what is working and where support is difficult to access.

Agree how changes will be evaluated. Positive intentions and participation figures alone do not establish an improvement in wellbeing.