by Helen Manley, Postdoctoral Researcher

Anxiety problems are common in children and can have profound adverse effects on personal, social and academic life. Almost 40% of anxiety disorders emerge before age 14, making primary schools invaluable settings for the prevention and early support of child anxiety problems. Despite the impetus and requirement for schools to invest in supporting the mental health needs of children, research indicates that school-based targeted interventions for anxiety problems can be costly and difficult to schedule, school staff may lack confidence to deliver them effectively, and outcomes are mixed. Are there things that staff can do day to day, to better support children who experience difficulties with anxiety?

We interviewed children, parents and staff in primary schools and asked them to tell us about their experiences of children’s anxiety in the classroom. We were particularly interested in finding out what they thought might contribute to increased anxiety and, importantly, what they felt school staff can do day-to-day that might help. So what did they tell us?

Contributor 1: PRESSURE

• System:
  • curriculum demands
  • unrealistic academic expectations
  • testing/assessment

• Social
  • Relationships with peers & adults
  • Peer compassion
  • Being put on the spot
  • Fear of getting in trouble

• Environmental
  • Busyness, chaos, disorganisation
  • Noise
  • Lack of space
  • Visual overstimulation

• Familial
  • Two homes
  • Illness
  • Difficult relationships
  • Over-responsibility

Contributor 2: UNCERTAINTY

• Inconsistency
• Lack of Familiarity
• The Unexpected

How can staff help?

Through routines, consistency and control

• Routines should be clearly communicated, understood, practised & embedded
• Provide consistency in layout, expectations, method & manner
• Children like to know someone is in control, using clear but fair boundaries
• And when you can’t…
  • Be honest; Prepare them in advance; Recognise the change; Explain why; Check they understand

Through good communication and by building good relationships

• Good communication between children & staff / staff & parents / staff & staff
• Manner & tone of communication matters
• Be approachable & show interest
• Make time to talk
• Seek & welcome parental input, to build good relationships with parents as well as children

Minimise environmental pressure by managing the physical space

• Consistent layout / Reduce clutter
• Good organisation and sense of space
• Discuss children’s seating preferences
• Keep low noise levels
• Try not to overfill walls or have too many resources
• Provide alternative spaces inside & outside the classroom
• Avoid displaying behaviour or reward charts publicly
• AND create mental space — Children said they would like
  • time to think – not rushing/requiring immediate answers, not asking multiple questions in a bid to scaffold/support 
  • time to talk – before answering, intentional 1:1 time check ins/time to raise concerns, casual time to talk with adults relationally, talking about anxiety – normalising and empathising  
  • time to ask – make asking for help a positive and expected thing, model that asking questions/for help/not being right is ok, model getting things wrong and what to do about it 
  • time to reset –  in the course of the day and in moments of crisis, time outside, calming boxes (it can take children much longer to reset than we think)

Provide pre-teaching and alternative, adjusted support

• Give instructions 1:1
• Offer alternative ways to contribute/ communicate
• Provide adjusted support to meet objectives
• Recognise the difficulty
• Provide structured support to help students overcome, rather than avoid, moments of challenge

We are planning to use outcomes from this and ongoing research to further develop training for primary school staff on managing and minimising anxiety in the classroom. We hope this will be helpful for all children, but particularly important for those who are experiencing difficulties with anxiety.