Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to include education on suicide and suicide prevention as a mandatory topic within the national curriculum.

The statutory guidance relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education already applies to all schools, including academies and independent schools. The updated guidance, published on 15 July 2025, will be implemented in schools from September 2026. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

The guidance strengthens content on mental health and wellbeing, and requires that all secondary schools should consider how to safely teach about suicide prevention.

We have been clear that schools should consult mental health professionals and put in place high quality, evidence-based staff training before addressing suicide directly with secondary aged pupils, to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to do it safely.