Ipswich pupils aid research to boost mental health services

The Cambridge University project aims to make mental health support for teenagers more relevant to them

Schoolchildren are helping Cambridge University to improve mental health services for teenagers.

Pupils from Northgate High School in Ipswich will be sharing their opinions on young people's health with the researchers over three years.

It is hoped the work will discover how to connect more effectively with secondary school pupils.

The lead researcher, Lauren Cross, said the students had been "brilliant to work with".

She said the project had "brought back lots of good memories" as a pupil at the school before she went on to work as a secondary schoolteacher in Ipswich.

She is now studying for a PhD at the University of Cambridge.

The next generation of Northgate students is helping her shape mental health services for the young people of the future as part of the "Capturing all voices" project, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Students from Northgate High School will work with researchers for three years

The school said recent evidence suggested young people's physical and mental health might be declining, with one in five experiencing mental health difficulties.

It added researchers were concerned the evidence they had did not always reflect the perspectives and experiences of every young person.

Ms Cross said: "There is no point in designing an amazing intervention which works in theory, but when you put it in a school setting, it doesn't reach the people you want it to be supporting.

"That's exactly why we've teamed up with the students at Northgate - we're chatting to them, not as research participants, but as research advisers."

The wider picture

The pupils started working on the project in 2022 and are welcoming the opportunity to make their voices heard.

Kacy-Jean, 15, said: "I think there's a lot of different elements of our lives that people don't normally see and I think people think we go to school and that's where stress comes from, but there could be a variety of reasons.

"Talking to Lauren was a good way to influence her research into her thinking 'look at the wider picture' - our entire lives could affect our mental health and we can't just pin the blame on one area."