Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve mental health support in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.
The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.
As of April 2024, NHS-funded Mental Health Support Teams covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England, and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.
The department will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.
To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, such as a resources hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.
On top of this, schools are also able to arrange their own mental health interventions that are best suited to their pupils using the core revenue and pupil premium funding they receive from the department.
The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in 2025/26.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to make it easier for people over the age of 25 to access skills training and employment support.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is taking several steps to make it easier for adults to access training. The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) fully or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Currently, approximately 60% of the ASF is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for deciding what provision and support to offer their residents, allowing them the flexibility to respond to local needs.
The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more people a foot in the door of work, whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth. Skills Bootcamps also continue to be funded and are available across England, giving adults the chance to build sector-specific skills, including in digital, construction and green industries, with an offer of a job interview on completion.
Lastly, in the 2026/2027 academic year, the department is also introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). The LLE will transform the post-18 student finance system by allowing people to develop new skills and gain new qualifications at a time that is right for them. From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for LLE funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. From its launch, the LLE loan will be available for full courses at level 4 to 6, such as a degrees, technical qualifications, designated distance-learning and online courses, and modules of high value technical courses at level 4 to 5.
Under the LLE, eligible learners will be able to access a tuition fee loan, with new learners able to access up to the full entitlement of £38,140, equal to four years of study based on the 2025/ 2026 academic year fee rates, and a maintenance loan to cover living costs, for courses with in-person attendance. Ultimately, this will enable individuals to learn, upskill, and retrain across their entire lives.