MORE youngsters in North Yorkshire are avoiding cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis and are happy in school — but the number of teenagers worrying about exams has risen, according to a new survey.

The North Yorkshire County Council “health and wellbeing” questionnaire, sent to schools every two years, quizzed 16,000 children and young people about issues including attitudes towards education, bullying, sex and staying safe online, which will be used to develop services for the future.

Among its findings were that Year Six and secondary school pupils are now more likely to enjoy all or most of their lessons and less likely to have had an alcoholic drink in the week before completing the survey.

Fewer Year 10 pupils had taken risks with sex after drinking or using drugs, while more secondary-school pupils believed their school deals “quite” or “very” well with bullying than in 2010. The results also showed a decrease in female Year 10 pupils who have ever smoked, while more Year 6 students had higher self-esteem.

However, the findings showed fewer Year 6 pupils believe their opinions make a difference to what they learn, while they are also spending more on fizzy drinks.

The percentage of secondary school pupils chatting online has risen from 79 per cent to 89 per cent in two years, but the number following online safety advice dropped from 73 per cent to 64 per cent. They also reported more “teasing and being made fun of”.

Council bosses said “great strides” had been made in reducing “risky behaviour” among teenagers and the number of pupils feeling positive about school was higher than similar counties, while more primary schoolchildren take exercise five or more times a week than other areas.

Coun Arthur Barker, executive member for schools, said: “North Yorkshire gives the highest priority to children and young people’s health and wellbeing in order to help them achieve their best and give them the best foundation for their future lives.

“We believe they deserve the very highest standards of educational provision, and the information gathered in this survey is a crucial tool in ensuring we and our partners continue to improve services in order to achieve those standards.”