Virtual Reality: A New Tool for Combatting Stress in Schools
Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help students cope with stress caused by looming exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or a difficult home life.
Innovation in Sutton Schools
All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using VR headsets made by technology company Phase Space as part of a pilot project in conjunction with the local NHS mental health group.
Students access the seven-minute Phase Space VR program either at a predetermined time slot or when they have to leave a class due to anxiety. Young people find that immersing themselves in virtual reality, even for such a short period, helps them calm down, regain confidence and feel ready to return to school. Phase Space was designed to help “overwhelmed and anxious students”, said Zillah Watson, co-creator of the program and former head of virtual reality at the BBC.
Improvements in Student Wellbeing
Aelisha Needham, assistant headteacher for ethics at Ark Academy secondary school in north London, which also uses the headsets, said this was mainly done with pupils with social, emotional or mental health problems, suffering from ADHD or anxiety.
“We mainly use it in the morning,” she said. “We have students who feel quite unregulated in the morning, especially when we have changes in their usual structures… [such as] a substitute teacher, or maybe they were feeling a little anxious about something at home, or maybe they didn’t eat breakfast, or had friendship problems, or didn’t do their homework.
“Students are a lot calmer. We’re seeing a reduction in things like course moves where students are asked to leave because they’re deregulated.” Students ask to use the program when they start to feel overwhelmed, “which is really positive, rather than just walking away.” [of lessons] and walk around the school,” she said. They use it to “ground themselves.”
A student using a Phase Space VR headset. Photography: phasespace.co.uk
Positive Outcomes and Feedback
Nine out of 10 students who used the headsets in the top 10 schools saw an immediate drop in stress, said Watson, who is also a visiting professor at University College London. The program “led to improvements in school attendance [and] behavior and a reduction in exam and assessment anxiety are evident.
Lora Wilson, 16, described how Phase Space helps her manage her anxiety. “You start in a room and there’s nothing in it and the light in the room slowly fades and then you’re almost transported to the dark but with light and it’s coming towards you.
“It’s very hard to explain but it’s a really cool experience. I almost feel like I’m somewhere else and I can just relax.”
Using the helmet has boosted her confidence, she added. “Exams used to terrify me. They don’t scare me as much anymore. It was the most terrifying thing ever. And when I felt that way, I used the headset and it helped me understand what I was feeling.”
Collaborative Efforts and Future Potential
Sutton Schools are exploring the potential of technology in tandem with the educational wellbeing team at South West London’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs) and St George’s NHS Trust.
With Camhs services across England so overloaded, virtual reality could prove a cheap and effective way for schools to help pupils suffering from stress, Needham said.
Ark Academy’s younger students, in particular, find that the seven-minute stress-relieving program “clears their minds… [it] helps them stay focused and maintain their attention,” she added.
“They said they had improved their self-control and their ability to process instructions because they felt much calmer and freer in terms of their mentality and confusion in their minds 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 schools.
“Schools have a big impact on children’s mental health and those that take a holistic approach to wellbeing are better able to support inclusion, achievement, attendance and behavior. »
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