Working in a school, I have regular contact with teachers, pastoral staff, and key support workers, and one of the most common concerns I hear is about the rising number of children coming up from primary schools with suspected mental health issues. These challenges aren’t just about behaviour; they point to deeper, often unaddressed, mental health struggles that seem to be surfacing at younger and younger ages.

With the rising demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) support in schools, we find ourselves in a troubling position. CAMHS is under immense pressure, stretched thin in its efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable children. Schools, already battling with tight budgets and overworked staff, are being forced to take on a larger role in supporting children’s mental health—something that teachers are not necessarily equipped or trained to handle. The workload on teachers is immense, and the reality is that many schools are not set up to provide the level of support some children need.

One of the key issues is that we often wait until children are in crisis before we intervene. The truth is, by the time children reach CAMHS, many of them have been struggling for a long time. Desmond Tutu’s quote comes to mind: “There is only so long we can continue to pull people out of the river. At some stage we need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” The same logic applies to the mental health of our children. We can’t just keep reacting to problems as they arise. We need to take preventative steps to ensure that children don’t reach a point where intensive support is their only option.

This is where preventative mental health coaching becomes critical. If we start addressing mental health in all children—not just those in crisis—we can reduce the pressure on CAMHS and help ensure that every child has the support they need before things escalate. Preventative mental health coaching can teach children emotional regulation, resilience, and coping strategies that they can carry with them throughout their lives. It equips them to navigate challenges before those challenges become overwhelming.

While some schools are already taking steps in this direction, we need a more systematic approach to make mental health education and support a standard part of every child’s school experience. Just as we teach children about physical health, it’s time we prioritised mental well-being as part of the curriculum. This can’t fall solely on teachers, who are already stretched too thin. We need more dedicated mental health professionals in every school, ongoing training for staff, and a national strategy that recognises the growing mental health crisis in young people.

The demand for CAMHS is a symptom of a deeper issue, and unless we start addressing mental health from the ground up, we will continue to see children “falling into the river.” It’s time for schools, communities, and policymakers to go upstream and take proactive steps in addressing mental health—because the stakes are too high to wait until crisis hits.