Almost half of primary teachers in England see pupils with eating disorders, survey finds

Almost half of primary school teachers are seeing pupils with eating disorders “at least occasionally”, rising to four in five at secondary level, according to a survey by the UK’s largest education union.

The findings emerged in a poll of 10,000 teachers in English state schools about pupils’ mental health, which also revealed “overwhelming” exam anxiety in secondaries and dwindling numbers of counsellors to support students.

Asked whether they had observed children showing signs of an eating disorder in the past year, 45% of primary teachers and 78% of secondary teachers said they had seen it at least occasionally.

Of those, 4% at primary level said they saw evidence of eating disorders “regularly”, compared with 14% of secondary teachers and 20% in special schools and pupil referral units.

The National Education Union (NEU) poll also revealed that two-thirds (68%) of secondary school teachers who responded regularly encountered absenteeism linked to students’ mental ill-health.

The rise in mental health problems among children and young people is well documented. A study published in the Lancet last year reported a 65% increase in annual hospital admissions between 2012-3 and 2021-2 for children and young people aged five to 18 with mental health concerns. Increases were “particularly steep” for eating disorders, rising from 478 to 2,938 over the same period – an increase of 515%.

The consultant paediatrician Dr Lee Hudson said eating disorders had become more common but pointed out that the term covered a wide spectrum of conditions, not just anorexia.

He said young children could have early anorexia or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (Arfid), characterised by limiting food type or quantity. “Eating disorders have become more common. We know it’s going up, but we don’t know why,” he said.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 1 April 2026

Further reading on the hub:

• Top picks: 15 resources on eating disorders