Teachers and educators across Aotearoa are increasingly supporting children and young people who are experiencing anxiety. For many students, anxiety shows up quietly — as avoidance, perfectionism, withdrawal, or frequent worries. For others, it can look like distress, meltdowns, school refusal, or behaviour that gets labelled as “challenging”.

Anxiety can significantly impact a child’s ability to learn, participate, and feel safe at school. When a student’s nervous system is in a constant state of alert, it can be harder for them to concentrate, attempt new tasks, manage emotions, or connect with peers and adults. Even everyday classroom experiences — transitions, assessments, group work, or changes in routine — can feel overwhelming for an anxious child.

At the same time, many teachers tell us they want to help, but don’t always feel confident about how to respond in ways that genuinely support anxious students. Concerns about “saying the wrong thing”, reinforcing anxiety, or moving beyond their role are common — particularly when teachers are already stretched and under pressure.

The reality is that educators are not expected to diagnose or treat anxiety. However, the way adults respond to children’s worries and distress can make a meaningful difference. Calm, informed, and compassionate responses in the classroom can help anxious students feel safer, more understood, and more able to engage with learning over time.

This Teachers and Educators Hub brings together practical, evidence‑based resources designed to support you in this role. The focus is on:

• understanding how anxiety can show up in school settings

• responding in ways that reduce distress rather than escalate it

• using simple, developmentally appropriate strategies that fit real classrooms

• supporting student wellbeing while also protecting your own

All resources are created or reviewed by mental health professionals and are grounded in the realities of Aotearoa schools, early learning services, and education settings.

You don’t need to be an expert in mental health to make a positive difference. Small, informed changes in how we respond, communicate, and support young people can help build safer learning environments — especially for those who are carrying more worry than they can yet manage on their own.

A note about our work with schools and educators

Anxiety NZ does not receive dedicated funding to deliver services directly within schools or to provide ongoing support for teachers and education settings. The resources on this hub have been created because we saw a growing need in the community and wanted to share what we can, within our capacity. While we don’t have the resources to work directly with schools, we continue to support children, young people, and their whānau through our paid clinical services, and we offer a wide range of evidence‑based information and tools in our Resources section. These materials are designed to support understanding, confidence, and compassionate responses to anxiety, and we hope they are a helpful addition to the important work educators are already doing.