London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress | Young people
Schools have begun using virtual reality to help students cope with stress caused by upcoming exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or difficult home lives.
All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using VR headsets made by technology firm Phase Space in a pilot run with the local NHS mental health trust.
Students can access the seven-minute Phase Space VR program either at a predetermined time period or when they need to leave class because of anxiety.
Teens find that immersing themselves in VR, even for such a short period of time, helps them calm down, regain their confidence, and feel ready to continue their studies. Zillah Watson, co-creator of the program and the BBC’s former head of VR, said Phase Space was designed to help “overwhelmed and anxious students”.
Aelisha Needham, deputy head of ethics at Ark Academy secondary school in north London, who also uses headphones, said it was mainly for students with social, emotional or mental health problems, such as ADHD or anxiety.
“We use it mostly in the morning,” he said. “We have students who feel quite unregulated in the morning, especially when we make changes to their usual structure… [such as] It could be a disguised teacher, they might be having some trouble with something at home, they might not have had breakfast, they might be having friendship problems, or they might not have done their homework.
“Students are much calmer. We are seeing a decrease in situations such as transfers from classes where students are asked to leave because they are deregulated.” Students request to use the program when they start feeling overwhelmed, “it’s a really positive thing, instead of just going out [of lessons] and wandering around the school,” he said, and they use it to “punish themselves.”
Watson, who is also a visiting professor at University College London, said that nine out of 10 students who used headphones in the top 10 schools had an immediate reduction in their stress. Program “led to improvements in student attendance” [and] Decreases in behaviors and anxiety related to exams and evaluations are evident.”
Sixteen-year-old Lora Wilson described how Phase Space helped her anxiety.
“You start in a room and there’s nothing in it and the light in the room slowly disappears and then you go back to almost black with the light and the room is coming towards you.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s a truly wonderful experience. It feels like I’m somewhere else and I can relax.”
He added that using headphones increased his confidence. “Exams scared the hell out of me. They don’t scare me as much anymore. It was the scariest thing ever. And when I felt like that, I would use the headset and it would help me understand how I felt about it.”
Schools in Sutton are exploring the potential of the technology alongside the educational wellbeing team at the child and adolescent mental health service (Camhs) in South West London and St George’s NHS trust.
Needham said that with Camh’s services across the UK overloaded, VR could be a low-cost and effective way for schools to help students suffering from stress.
Young students at Ark Academy in particular find that the seven-minute stress relief program “clears their minds.” [it] “It helps them maintain focus and sustain attention,” he added.
“They said they had improved their self-control and ability to process instructions because they felt much calmer and freer in terms of their mentality and confusion before this.”
Andy Bell, chief executive of the Center for Mental Health think tank, said: “It is encouraging to see digital solutions being used to support children’s mental health in school.
“Schools have a huge impact on children’s mental health, and schools that take a broad approach to wellbeing can better support participation, attainment, attendance and behaviour.”
