More than 80 per cent of Jewish schools have reported an increase in mental health problems among students over the past couple of years, according to a survey carried out by Partnerships for Jewish Schools.
While 44 per cent found a “significant” rise in their incidence, for 41 per cent it was marginal.
But none of the 32 primary and secondary schools involved said there had been any decrease.
Schools encountered a full range of mental health issues, particularly “high levels of anxiety and depression, anger management issues and low self-esteem”.
They also dealt with eating disorders, self-harm, abuse, extreme stress and sleep disorders.
Around one in five schools said they lacked the resources to train staff to tackle such issues, while most of the available services in the area were unknown to many of them.
Pajes has now established a working party of leading professionals to plan how to improve mental health and wellbeing across the Jewish school system.
Rachel Fink, headteacher at the Hasmonean High School and a member of the new working party, said: “As with any new challenge, the key to a resolution is through good education. That is why schools are at the forefront of taking responsibility.
“Our young people in the Jewish community are no less affected by mental health challenges than their peers nationally and we have a duty of care in school to help guide them back to a fulfilling and mentally healthy life.”
She said schools required “further investment from the community both in terms of time, educational resources and funding” if they were successfully to address the need.
While the majority of schools offered parenting courses, they were often poorly attended and had minimal impact, the survey found.
