The most common mental health difficulties you are likely to encounter in your classroom are depression and anxiety, which affects nearly 8% of the population at any one time. Learners with these conditions will need additional support and understanding if their condition is to stabilise and improve. Furthermore, many formally diagnosed mental health difficulties are classed as disabilities, and therefore schools are required by law to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for these conditions under the Equality Act. Examples of reasonable adjustments might include: being allowed to do ‘speaking and listening’ assessments with the teacher or a small group, rather than in front of the class; being allowed access to a smaller room for exams, if the exam hall situation provokes anxiety; being treated with sensitivity rather than with a punitive approach, if homework is a particular source of anxiety.