Supporting pupils with anxiety in school: Practical tips for mental health and wellbeing
Anxiety can affect pupils at any time, whether it's due to changes in routine, academic pressures, or other life challenges.
When considering mental health in schools, it’s essential for teachers, parents, and trusted adults to be able to recognise the signs of anxiety and understand how to support children and young people with it . In this blog, the tootoot team are sharing their knowledge and tips to help you support your children and young people to manage their mental health and wellbeing, particularly during stressful times.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a common mental health condition. It is something we all experience at times. It often feels like worry, stress, or panic, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. Anyone can experience anxiety, regardless of age, gender, race, culture or faith. Feeling anxious now and then is normal, but if it starts to affect everyday life, it could be a sign that more support is needed.
What causes anxiety in children and young people?
Anxiety can be caused by lots of different things. It’s important to remember that there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ reason to feel anxious. Sometimes it has a clear trigger, but other times it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. Some people might feel it in specific situations while others might feel it more generally. The cause of your anxiety can also change over time.
Common causes of anxiety in young people include:
School-related stress - Exams, homework, or pressure to perform well
Social situations - Fear of judgment, bullying, or making new friends
Change and uncertainty - Moving schools, family changes, or life changes
Personal worries - Health concerns, family problems, or financial stress at home
Overstimulation - Too much screen time, social media, or a busy schedule
Lack of sleep - Fatigue can make anxiety worse and emotions harder to manage
Understanding triggers can help you provide the right support for any children and young people struggling with anxiety.
How does anxiety affect children and young people?
Anxiety can affect anyone, but for young people, it can significantly impact their mental health.
Stress, fear, and worry can interfere with their ability to focus, interact socially, and succeed academically. When not addressed, anxiety can have long-term effects on a student's emotional wellbeing, learning, and personal development.
How to spot a pupil with anxiety/signs of anxiety and stress.
Everyone experiences anxiety differently, but there are some common signs such as changes in behaviour, withdrawal from social situations, difficulty concentrating, or excessive worrying about schoolwork/personal matters.
8 common signs of anxiety in children and young people
By being aware of these signs and looking out for them, teachers and school staff can step in early and offer the support needed to manage anxiety.
Changes in behaviour – Increased irritability, restlessness, or becoming unusually quiet
Withdrawal from social interactions – Avoiding friends, skipping group activities, or isolating themselves
Difficulty concentrating – Struggling to focus in class, easily distracted, or forgetting instructions
Excessive worry – Regularly expressing worries about schoolwork, friendships, or the future
Physical symptoms – Complaints of headaches, stomach aches, nausea, or unexplained fatigue
Avoidance behaviours – Refusing to participate in certain activities or making excuses to miss school
Changes in sleep patterns – Difficulty falling asleep, frequent nightmares, or appearing overly tired in class
Loss of confidence – Doubting their abilities, avoiding challenges, or seeking reassurance frequently
What can schools do to support pupils with anxiety?
Creating a school environment where students feel comfortable talking about anxiety starts with small, everyday actions that show them that everyone at your school are approachable and ready to listen. Here are practical ways to create a talking culture in schools:
Train staff in mental health conversations - Provide short, practical training on how to recognise anxiety and approach conversations with students
Create ‘check-in’ routines - Encourage teachers to start lessons with a quick wellbeing check-in, such as a thumbs-up/thumbs-down system or a one-word emotion share. You could even use tootmood to run a simple pupil wellbeing survey and get a whole-school overview
Use conversation starters - Display prompts in classrooms or common areas, like ‘What’s one thing that made you smile today?’ or ‘What’s a challenge you faced this week?’ to get pupils to regularly reflect and open up about their moods and emotions
Normalise emotions through your curriculum - Incorporate discussions about mental health into subjects like English, PSHE, and even science (e.g., teaching about the brain’s response to stress)
Hold informal drop-ins - Set up regular times when students can talk to a trusted staff member without a formal appointment
Equip staff with practical scripts - Regularly remind staff and teachers about simple ways they can start conversations with pupils, this gives them the confidence to check-in with pupils if they do notice changes. Simple phrases like ‘I’ve noticed you seem a bit quieter than usual - how are you feeling at the moment?’ are a great way to start
Celebrate positive coping strategies - Create a ‘Wellbeing Wall’ where students and staff can share their favourite ways to manage anxiety
Involve all school staff - Encourage lunchtime supervisors, receptionists, and support staff to check in with students, not just teachers, DSLs, and wellbeing leads
Encourage peer support - Train student ambassadors to lead discussions or host small peer support groups for talking about mood, emotions, and anxiety
Create relaxing wellbeing spaces - Provide quiet areas where students can take a break when feeling overwhelmed
Incorporate mindfulness and relaxation activities - Introduce breathing exercises, meditation, or movement breaks into the school day
Encourage pupil self-expression - Encourage pupils to use creative outlets like journaling, art, or music to help them process emotions
Display mental health resources – Make posters, leaflets, and online links to support services easily accessible
How to help pupils speak up about anxiety and mental health concerns
It’s important that you create an open, supportive environment where students feel comfortable talking about anxiety and their mental health. Regularly encouraging conversations about anxiety and making these conversations feel like a normal part of the school day can reduce stigma and help students feel heard. By creating a safe space, you can help reduce the isolation that often comes with anxiety.
While open conversations with teachers and staff are important, not every student feels confident speaking up face-to-face. Over 65% of young people prefer to use digital tools to speak up about mental health concerns. That’s where Tootoot, pupil voice and safeguarding software for schools, can help.
Every student deserves a safe space to talk about their worries. Tootoot’s discrete and confidential pupil voice messenger gives pupils the confidence to reach out when they need support.
Tootoot provides a safe, anonymous way for students to share their concerns with trusted staff members. Whether they’re feeling overwhelmed with schoolwork, struggling with anxiety, or facing personal challenges, Tootoot gives them a voice when they might otherwise stay silent.
By offering both in-person and digital ways to speak up, you can:
Encourage more students to seek support – Some students may find it easier to write their feelings rather than say them out loud.
Give staff better visibility of mental health and wellbeing concerns – Tootoot helps schools identify trends over time and respond proactively.
Create a truly inclusive talking culture – Ensuring that every student, no matter their confidence level, has a way to reach out.
Incorporating platforms like Tootoot alongside regular wellbeing discussions, peer support programs, and mental health education helps schools build an environment where talking about mental health and anxiety is the norm - not the exception.
