Charity warning as English kids score badly in happiness survey

Schoolchildren in England are among the unhappiest in the world, behind countries such as Ethiopia, Algeria and Romania, research suggests.

Bullying and the relentless pressure to look good are conspiring to make English children feel miserable.

The only children who are less happy at school than English kids are pupils from Germany, South Korea and Estonia.

In a new international comparative study of children’s subjective well-being in 15 countries childrne in England ranked 14th for satisfaction with life as a whole.

Girls in England ranked bottom in terms of happiness with their body confidence, appearance and self-confidence compared to girls in every other country surveyed, with the exception of South Korea.

Children in England scored the lowest out of all 15 countries for self-confidence.

The Children’s Society Good Childhood report estimates that half-a-million 10 and 12-year-olds are physically bullied at school, which found that 38% of children surveyed had been hit by classmates in the last month.

Meanwhile, girls of this age felt significantly worse about their bodies than boys – in contrast to Turkey, Romania and Colombia where body image satisfaction was high in both sexes.

And those in England reported more worries about being bullied and excluded by other children.

The report is a collaboration with the University of York and presents an alarming picture of children’s experiences at school in England.

This gender difference was not found in many other countries.

Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: “What we’re really concerned about is the impact that has on their lives now and in the future”.

“School should be a safe haven, not a battleground”.

Following the publishing of the report, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said the government was working hard to address the concerns.

Professor Jonathan Bradshaw from the University of York said: ‘As a nation we pay enormous attention to the well-being of our economy, the state of the weather, sporting league tables, the City and the Stock Market.

The Children’s Society said it should be a legal requirement for English schools to provide counselling, and funding for children’s mental health should be increased. “Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and all schools must have measures in place to tackle it”. “We are also promoting greater use of counselling in schools, improving teaching about mental health, and supporting joint working between mental health services and schools”.