West Yorkshire MP backs Radio Aire's Problem Shared campaign
Labour's Tracy Brabin is backing our call for every school to have a counsellor
Last updated 19th Feb 2018
Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin is backing Radio Aire’s Problem Shared campaign to get a counsellor in every school.
We launched the campaign with the family of Leeds pupil Daniel Long, who took his own life at the age of 15 because he became so stressed revising for his GCSEs.
“Daniel’s story is deeply saddening,” says Tracy, who is also Shadow Minister for Early Years.
“As a mum myself, with two daughters who have experienced some challenges, I know that it’s often just a step away and a moment in time that you could have maybe stopped with the right support.
“What I don’t think is right is to burden teachers with more responsibility about looking after children’s mental health. I think they’re already stressed themselves. So I think it’s really vital we have ring-fenced money to ensure every school has a counsellor so that the door will always be open for a child in distress.
“We should also try and pull away that testing and pressure and expectation on students. They are our next wave of entrepreneurs and talented young people, and we’re losing them to mental health issues. We have got to take this seriously.”
Daniel died at the end of February 2017 whilst studying for his mock GCSEs. His mum Emma Oliver says he became obsessed with revising, despite getting As and A*s at school. He eventually cracked under the pressure and took his own life in his bedroom.
Despite giving Daniel CPR, Emma couldn’t save her son and he passed away three days later. An inquest concluded he was suffering with acute anxiety.
Since deciding to share what happened to Daniel, Emma says she’s been shocked at the hundreds of messages she’s received from parents in Leeds and across the country worried about their own children.
“I could not believe the amount of people that got in touch with me and said they’re worried about their children who are sitting their exams this year,” she says.
“They start getting stressed from the age of six when they’re sitting their SATs. When you’ve got six-year-olds crying in the playground because of their SATs, you’ve got mental health issues right there.
“I would hate for another child to go through what he did. And end his life when he had so much to live for.”
More than 5,000 people have signed our Problem Shared petition - add your name here.