Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has been made of the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of workplace mental health support available to (i) teachers and (ii) school staff.

The department takes the wellbeing and mental health of teachers and school staff very seriously.

We have worked with the sector to develop the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter which can be used to inform a whole school or college approach to wellbeing. Over 4,300 schools and colleges have signed up.

We fund Education Support to provide professional supervision for school and college leaders. Over 1,400 leaders have benefitted since April 2024.

The department has funded a mental health lead resource hub to support mental health leads. This includes resources to support staff development and wellbeing.

​Our Improve Workload and Wellbeing service provides resources for schools to reduce workload and improve wellbeing. The department also signposts to a range of mental health resources, including Education Support’s free 24-hour helpline.

Employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees. Many employers provide employee assistance programmes offering confidential support and counselling. As the duty of care for staff wellbeing rests with employers, assessments of the availability and adequacy of workplace mental health support are made locally.