Editorial: Researching education and mental health: from ‘Where are we now?’ to ‘What next?’

The mental health and wellbeing of learners and teaching staff rank among some of the most pressing issues facing education as we enter a new decade. Growing rates of emotional distress among school-aged children, the impact of relentless workloads on teacher wellbeing, and the seismic effects of acute low-level funding and childhood poverty are common concerns. These were some of the critical areas for research attention highlighted at the BERA's Mental health, Wellbeing and Education special interest group’s inaugural conference – 'Researching education and mental health: Where are we now?' – in July 2019. This special issue of the BERA Blog presents a collection of papers from the conference, and features groundbreaking projects supporting mental health and wellbeing in education as well as showcasing some of the latest studies to emerge, collectively, helping steer the 2020 research agenda in this crucial area.