Young primary school children are self-harming in various ways, including rubbing rubber on their skin, banging their heads against walls, and pulling out their hair, according to Suzanne Skeete, founder of Tappy Twins, a non-profit enterprise that provides counselling and therapy in 50 schools and nurseries across the Midlands, Gloucester, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Skeete believes that self-harm among younger children is under-reported and growing, with over 500 primary school children reporting self-harm to Tappy Twins alone. New data from NHS Digital indicates that the number of nursery and primary school children hospitalised for self-harm rose 27% between 2012-17. Teachers struggle to provide support, while waiting lists are also increasing. “Children won’t just grow out of self-harm. But what they will do is teach each other how to cut themselves better, until they get support,” warns Skeete.

The 2016 survey conducted by the Department for Education (DfE) revealed that a significant number of teachers, about 23%, do not have the necessary skills to identify behavior related to mental health issues, while 34% feel unprepared to teach children with these needs. YoungMinds spokesperson Tom Madders believes that more needs to be done to help children’s mental wellbeing, especially given the various pressures children face, such as stress, bullying, and lack of access to help. Even children’s home environments, including domestic violence, neglect, and bereavement, can have adverse effects on their mental health.

Primary school designated safeguarding lead Jon Robinson shared the story of a previously lively eight-year-old girl who became reserved and stopped wearing skirts. It turned out that she was self-harming in the form of leg scratching. Robinson remembers how difficult it was to refer these cases to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), and believes that 70% to 80% of primary-school children who self-harm will struggle to obtain help. He emphasized the importance of using the right language when referring cases, including using the buzzword "self-harm" and describing how children hide their situations by avoiding activities that impede them and potentially affect other children.

Gemma Walker, a primary teacher, and safeguarding lead, shared the experience of a four-year-old girl who started to pull her hair out and bite and pinch herself and others. It turned out that the child had lost a sibling, and her mother often talked about her deceased child, leading to low self-esteem and self-worth. By self-harming, the child was releasing her emotions, believing that hurting herself would alleviate her pain. However, she did not understand the reason behind this behavior.

Walker believes that the DfE’s priority is overly focused on academic success, and teachers find it challenging to notice when a child exhibits self-harming signs, as they are preoccupied with stressed over meeting league table and exam results. The DfE suggested that teachers could get training on self-harm through MindEd.org.uk and funded guidance and lesson plans for PSHE. The government claims to have invested £1.4bn in young people’s mental healthcare to support mental health. The green paper on children and young people’s mental health is currently under consultation and will require every school to have a lead for mental health by 2025.

Labour and YoungMinds criticized the slow implementation of these teams. By 2022-23, only a fifth of England will have coverage, which is insufficient. Marie Evans, a teacher who handles eight primary school children with special needs, revealed that four of them self-harm. Evans referred to Tappy Twins, who gave incredible assistance to one five-year-old boy who observed his older siblings self-harming. He eventually began to self-harm less frequently. Another child in year 1 pinched and scratched himself to make himself bleed, and an eight-year-old girl tried to run out onto the road when distressed but unfortunately had no successful referrals to mental health services.

Several identities have been altered.

gabrieldillon