Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects on the number of schools that directly employ their own mental health counsellors.

The department does collect information on staff working in state-funded schools via the annual School Workforce Census, but this does not directly identify in-school mental health counsellors and mental health workers. The results are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

Our most recent survey of mental health provision in schools and colleges published in 2017 found that 61% of schools and colleges (56% of primary schools, 84% of secondary schools and 93% of colleges) reported offering access to counselling services for their pupils and students: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/634726/Supporting_Mental-Health_survey_report.pdf. Recently, findings from the department’s COVID-19 School Snapshot Survey in July 2021, found that 96% of schools were providing support in school for pupils identified as having mental health needs.

We recognise that school and college-based counselling is valuable provision which can play a particularly effective role as part of a whole-school or college approach to wellbeing and mental health, within which support can come from a number of sources. We have produced guidance on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling, to further support schools who have decided that counselling support is appropriate for their pupils. As a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have committed to updating this guidance to make sure it reflects the current context. The current guidance sets out our strong expectation that over time, all schools will offer counselling services, alongside other interventions.