The Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) is a comprehensive screening questionnaire used to assess our students emotional and behavioural issues. The sub categories are overall emotional stress, peer relationships, hyperactivity, emotional distress, behavioural problems and kind and helpful behaviour.
Alleviating overall stress and mental health issues are key priorities within our school. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire is an internationally accepted method of assessing psychological needs and is completed by parents, pupils and staff at termly intervals in order to measure the impact of our support. The SDQ is used internationally, and is a key tool used by CAMHS.
It is our aim to reduce overall stress scores and direct support to specific sub categories maximising impact.
Contextually, The CPA SDQ scores are significantly higher compared to national averages. This can be attributed to the amount of adverse childhood experiences that our students have already had impact upon their lives. On average our students experience 5 ACEs in their early childhood. Students arrive at CPA, typically, with a medium to high SDQ score. The aim of CPA is to lower this score over a period of time through various means of intervention and support to students and families.
Looking back…
Prior to COIVD 19 pandemic and the start of opening the ContinU Plus Academy in 2013, the overall stress scores were steadily decreasing over a period of time. The longer the placement at the CPA, the more significant the reduction in stress. We discovered that the optimum length of placement for significant improvement in mental health was 2 years.
The data from September 2019 (COVID year) to March 2026 shows an increase in Overall Stress scores. During the pandemic, pupils overall stress starts to increase, this can be attributed by the closure of schools. The CPA remained open to the majority of pupils due to vulnerability. Once schools reopened, the pattern of the overall stress of pupils arriving at the CPA increased from 2021 to December 2023. During the year 2022-2023 we had a significant number of pupils struggling with their mental health. Since then we have hired a private school counsellor, worked closely with external agencies, had whole school training in Non-violent resistance and reimagined the school day primarily to support all of their students improve their emotional wellbeing. From September 2023 to March 2026, we are starting to see the pattern of high overall stress at the start of the year when most new pupils are referred with scores decreasing gradually over the course of the year.