Relational matters: a review of the impact of school experience on mental health in early adolescence

The review of this area posited the notion of ‘the supportive school’ as important and one key element, the notion of school connectedness. Within that the role of relationships is identified as significant. This paper explores the part played by relationships in schools. The paper draws on a review of 133 papers published mainly in the last 15 years. Relationships between teachers and pupils and pupils’ peer relationships are identified as the key ones. The main ways in which school-based relationships impact upon mental health are explored. First, in terms of the relationship to academic outcomes; second, the relationship between social support, feelings of emotional well-being or distress, and teacher-pupil relationships; and finally the relationship between school connectedness and mental health outcomes. The authors argue for greater attention to be paid to the interconnections between the relationships with young people and their emotional and academic well-being. The paper concludes with the implications for schools and teachers of these findings and an argument for an acknowledgement of the importance of the social goals of education