The NSW Primary Principals’ Association has brought school leaders and mental health experts together in Sydney to examine how schools can better respond to rising levels of student anxiety, as early data from a statewide initiative points to improvements in both student outcomes and teacher confidence.
Held on 27 February, the 2026 Student Anxiety Summit convened primary and secondary principals, senior wellbeing leaders, paediatric specialists, psychologists and allied health professionals to consider system-wide responses to what many educators describe as a growing challenge in classrooms.
The summit followed the release of early data from 22 NSW primary schools participating in The Anxiety Project, a whole-school anxiety approach led by the principals’ association. According to the association, participating schools reported decreases in student anxiety levels over the course of the program. At the same time, the proportion of teachers who rated themselves “competent” or “extremely competent” to assist an anxious child increased from 43.3 per cent at the start of the initiative to 81.5 per cent by its conclusion.
Principal Mr Rob Walker, and the association’s lead on the project, said the summit created space for educators and health professionals to share insights and consider practical next steps.
“The summit gives schools, medical professionals and our wider community a rare opportunity to come together, compare insight and put forward practical solutions,” Mr Walker said.
National data cited at the event underscores the scale of the issue. The 2020–21 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found that 32 per cent of people aged 16–24 experienced an anxiety disorder in the previous 12 months. Comparisons with the 2007 survey indicate that the prevalence of diagnosable mental disorders among young people has increased by approximately 50 per cent over that period.
Education leaders at the summit noted that while anxiety is a normal emotion, it can interfere with learning and participation when it becomes persistent or intense. Schools report that heightened anxiety is affecting students’ engagement in class, attendance and overall wellbeing.
Keynote speaker Mr Patrick McGorry, Executive Director of Orygen and Professor of Youth Mental Health, told attendees that anxiety often emerges in the late primary years and can act as a gateway to more serious mental ill health in adolescence if left unaddressed.
“Mental ill health has increased dramatically in young Australians over the past two decades,” Professor McGorry said. “We need innovative preventive responses which focus on systems and culture and the way we live.”
The initiative discussed at the summit centres on a whole-school model that focuses on adult behaviour and school-wide practice, rather than solely on student-directed lessons. Training is provided to principals, teachers, school learning support officers and parents, with changes measured using standardised assessments developed in partnership with university researchers.
Baseline findings from participating schools identified elevated levels of student anxiety and low teacher confidence in recognising and responding to anxious behaviour, with fewer than half of teachers reporting confidence at the outset and almost one in five students classified in the “high anxiety” range.
Qualitative feedback gathered during implementation indicates broader cultural shifts in some schools, including more consistent staff responses to anxious behaviour, increased use of shared language around anxiety and reports of calmer classrooms.
To support independent evaluation, the NSW Government has extended a grant of more than $240,000 to fund research and reporting into the effectiveness of the approach. The program has been implemented across 144 schools between 2023 and 2026, reaching more than 50,000 students. Ongoing research is tracking changes in student anxiety levels, teacher capability and parent behaviour over time.
Association representatives said the summit was designed not as a one-off event, but as part of a broader effort to strengthen collaboration between education and health sectors and to ensure that responses to student anxiety are embedded in everyday school practice.
