Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Talking about School Transition, published by the University of Manchester in April 2020.

The primary-secondary school transition is a significant milestone in a child’s life and the government recognises the importance of supporting the emotional wellbeing of children and young people during these transition periods. This is critical to high and rising standards and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in school.

In health education, part of mandatory relationships, sex and health education, there is already a strong focus on mental wellbeing. The aim of teaching pupils about mental wellbeing and physical health is to give them the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, how to seek support.

The department also encourages schools to embed an effective whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, which includes considering stages during the academic year that provide opportunities for a specific curricular focus, such as learning skills for coping with transition periods. There are a number of approaches to do this, including those focused on in the Talking about School Transition report.

Beyond this, the government will expand Mental Health Support Teams (so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We 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.