Teenage Girls in England Report Sharp Decline in School Safety and Belonging Post-Covid

New research highlights a significant drop in emotional engagement and feelings of safety among Year 9 girls, with England experiencing one of the steepest declines globally since the pandemic.

• A UCL study reveals that only 21% of Year 9 girls in England felt safe at school in 2023, down from 43% in 2019, marking a sharper decline than among boys or other countries studied.
• Girls' sense of belonging and pride in their schools fell by 17 and 20 percentage points respectively, twice the drop observed in boys over the same period.
• Persistent school absences among girls have risen more sharply than boys since 2020, with 26.8% of girls missing 10% or more of school sessions in the 2023-24 academic year.
• Researchers attribute the decline in emotional engagement to disruptions during the pandemic, particularly school closures during critical transitional periods for girls.
• Educational leaders and the Department for Education emphasize the need for systemic interventions, including mental health support and further research, to address these challenges.

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