Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve mental health support in schools.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

As of April 2024, NHS-funded Mental Health Support Teams covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England, and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.

The department 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.

To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, such as a resources hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.

On top of this, schools are also able to arrange their own mental health interventions that are best suited to their pupils using the core revenue and pupil premium funding they receive from the department.

The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in 2025/26.