Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent discussions with schools on their ability to support pupils experiencing mental health difficulties.

The department is helping schools and colleges to develop effective approaches to promote and support mental wellbeing, including through offering funded senior mental health lead training to all state schools and colleges by 2025. Many schools and colleges have prioritised pupil and student wellbeing since COVID-19, and increased school budgets and recovery funding can be used to support wellbeing.

The department is also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working with schools and colleges from 287 in 2022 to 400 in 2023, covering around 35% of pupils in England. Around 500 MHSTs are planned to be up and running in 2024.

Understanding the experience of education staff promoting and supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people is an integral part of how we have developed and are providing support to schools and colleges. The department has regular engagement with representative bodies including discussion on mental wellbeing. We also gather insight through school and college panels and other experience surveys, and visits, along with other specific engagement with the education sector. In the latest school and college panel survey in November 2022, 73% of school teachers that responded felt they knew how to help pupils with mental health issues access support offered by their school.

Insight directly from schools and colleges has been critical to informing the roll-out of MHSTs in partnership with the NHS. User research with schools and colleges has also shaped our offer of senior mental health lead training. The department is continuing to engage schools and colleges to understand what further support would help them to effectively meet the needs of children and young people. Officials work closely with our Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership Group of national education stakeholders to shape further support.