‘Self-harming is behind me, but it blights many students’ lives’

Students are turning to private online communities and peer-led societies to help them break the cycle of self-harm

On the pulse: a chef, a football manager and a TV star track their heart rates

What does a stressful job do to you? We asked people including Sam Allardyce, Kirsty Wark and Angela Hartnett to wear a heart rate monitor for a day to find out

Peter Tatchell: ‘Attacks from the left are incredibly painful’

The lifelong activist says he’s been beaten up 300 times and had 50 bricks through his window. But he tells how his most dispiriting clashes – such as the ongoing NUS row – have been those with other gay rights campaigners

All children need to learn about sexual consent – it’s their right

Half the female victims of sexual assault are under 16. Rape victims are most likely to be aged 15 to 19. Schools need to teach young people about healthy relationships

Children in England near bottom in international happiness table

England ranks 13th out of 16 countries in survey, with body image and school among areas of concern among eight-year-olds

The chicken shop mile and how Britain got fat

With cheap and fattening food everywhere, there has been a shape shift that means people do not recognise obesity when they see it in the mirror

Mindfulness: the craze sweeping through schools is now at a university near you

Even Cambridge is offering sessions to combat an increase in student stress. But is mindfulness, as some critics insist, just a silly fad?

No one sees how hard it is for students with an invisible illness

When you look at me you might not see anything wrong. But I’m actually suffering with a chronic illness that makes me feel different to my friends

I teach healthy eating, yet still can’t resist fries and giant cookies

As a nutrition professor in the US I should be a shining example for my binge-eating students – but maybe we’ll have to learn to love kale chips together

10 proven ways teachers can improve their sleep

Beware of cold feet, embrace the darkness and ditch the laptop – here’s what science says about how to get a restful night’s sleep