Mindfulness is being added to the curriculum in 370 schools in the UK, in an effort to improve the mental health of students.

The UK government said that mental health experts would be engaged to help youths learn “relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and other methods to help them regulate their emotions”.

The trial will run until 2021 in nine areas around the country, and will then be reassessed.

Education Minister Damian Hinds explained in a government statement: “As a society, we are much more open about our mental health than ever before, but the modern world has brought new pressures for children, while potentially making others worse.

“Schools and teachers don’t have all the answers, nor could they, but we know they can play a special role which is why we have launched one of the biggest mental health trials in schools.

The trials will test five different approaches, with two focused on increasing awareness in secondary schools through short information sessions, and three in primary and secondary schools that focus on lighter-touch approaches such as exercises drawn from mindfulness practice, breathing exercises and muscle relaxation techniques and recognising the importance of support networks including among their own peers.

A survey commissioned by the National Health Service published last November found that one in eight children in England between the ages of five and 19 suffered from at least one mental disorder at the time of their assessment in 2017.

Disorders like anxiety and depression were the most common, affecting one in 12 children and early adolescents in 2017, and appeared more often in girls.

Action for Children’s director of policy and campaigns, Imran Hussain, said: “Every day our frontline services see children and teenagers struggling to get to grips with how they fit into the increasingly complex modern world - contending with things like intense pressure at school, bullying or problems at home, all while being bombarded by social media.

“We know from our own school programmes how vital it is to step in early with support to stop problems in their tracks. Crucially, services like these can lessen the anxiety, pain and anguish that some teens go through, but also reduce their need for intensive support further down the line.”