Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that information and support is provided on eating disorders for pupils in secondary schools.

To support schools the Government funds the PSHE Association to provide guidance to schools on how to teach pupils in all four key stages about mental health. The guidance includes age appropriate advice on teaching about eating disorders in secondary school.

The Government made a manifesto commitment that all pupils should learn about mental wellbeing and the mental health risks of the internet. The Department is currently conducting a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and on the future status of Personal Social, Health and Economic Education. Decisions on further action to deliver the commitment will be made in the light of the outcome of the engagement process.

The Government has also funded information for school staff. MindEd is a free online portal that provides training for all adults working with children and young people about specific mental health problems. It includes specific information on eating disorders.

To improve access to specialist support for eating disorders, the Government has made available an additional £1.4 billion for children and young people’s mental health services. This includes £150 million specifically targeted at improving support for young people with eating disorders. The Government is also consulting on the green paper Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision. It includes proposals for mental health support teams to provide more trained support for young people with mental health issues and to improve access to specialist support where it is needed.