2 Million Children Unhappy At School. These Are The Reasons Why

There’s a staggering number of children in the UK who say they are unhappy at school. 

That’s according to a new survey from Parentkind, which revealed that one in five (20%) children are only sometimes, rarely, or never happy at school – equivalent to 2 million children.

The poll’s findings also revealed unhappiness levels double between primary and secondary school (from 12% to 25%) – but why?

What’s causing unhappiness at school?

According to Parentkind, the most common reasons for children’s unhappiness at school include:

The survey also shows that children growing up in households with incomes under £20,000 are almost three times as likely to be unhappy at school as children in households with an income over £100,000 (29% vs 10%).

For parents of children with special educational needs who say they are unhappy at school, the main reasons are that their needs are not being met (56%), they struggle with learning (43%), and they struggle to make friends (43%).

Jason Elsom, CEO of Parentkind, said the findings are “a wake-up call”.

“Too many children are going through school unhappy, disengaged, or feeling that what they are learning is not relevant to their lives. We cannot accept a system where young people begin to lose their love of learning just at the point when education should be opening up the world for them,” he said.

“Happiness at school is not a luxury. It is the foundation of learning, wellbeing, and future success. When children enjoy being at school, they thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. When they do not, their confidence and prospects suffer.”

The CEO continued: “We must look closely at how schools support children as they move from primary to secondary, how they ensure lessons feel meaningful and inspiring, and how they nurture every child’s sense of belonging.

“Policymakers, school leaders, and parents all need to come together to ask what kind of school experience we want for our children, and whether we are doing enough to create one that lifts them up rather than grinds them down.”

Earlier this year a Unicef report highlighted that the UK is near the bottom of a league table when it comes to the happiness and wellbeing of teens. Girls were more likely to be unhappy than boys. 

Dr Philip Goodwin, chief executive of the United Kingdom Committee for Unicef, told Sky News at the time: ”“Our teenagers are reporting some of the lowest life satisfaction levels, which must be a wake-up call for the government.”

The disparity between happiness levels at primary and secondary school needs further exploration.

Earlier this week a new survey by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize shed some light on what it’s like being a teenager in 2025 – including what they worry about most.

Over two-thirds (69%) of the 2,000 participants reported feeling anxious at least some of the time, with pressure around exams and grades being the biggest worry.

The mental health charity YoungMinds also claimed exam stress is one of many factors contributing to record numbers of young people seeking mental health support.

In an opinion piece for HuffPost UK, one headteacher suggested the GCSE exam system needs a complete overhaul.

Dr Nikos Savvas, principal of West Suffolk College and CEO of Eastern Education Group, argued that “we’re using an assessment method that actively undermines everything we know about learning, development, and what young people need to succeed in the modern economy”.

Parentkind’s survey found 31% of secondary school children who aren’t happy at school said it’s because they don’t feel what they are learning is relevant to their future, compared to 11% of primary school children.

Kids in secondary schools were also more likely to find lessons uninteresting.