A sad state of affairs for kids

SCHOOLCHILDREN in England are among the unhappiest in the world.

The country’s youngsters ranked 14th out of 15 for overall life satisfaction, just ahead of South Korea but worse than Ethiopia, Algeria and Romania.

Levels of unhappiness at school were higher among teenagers, with 43% of year eights saying they enjoyed school, compared to 61% of year six students.

But more than a third of English students (38%) aged 10 and 12 reported being physically bullied in the last month, and 50% felt excluded in class, according to research by the University Of York in partnership with The Children’s Society.

The Good Childhood Report 2015, which examined 53,000 children across 15 diverse countries, also found bullied kids in England are six times more likely to have low wellbeing than those being picked on.

Matthew Reed, of The Children’s Society, said: “School should be a safe haven, not a battleground.”