Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure school staff have access to training and resources to identify and support pupils at risk of developing an eating disorder.

Education staff’s daily contact with pupils enables them to identify those who may need support and make timely referrals to the appropriate services.

To support them, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources to help them identify children in need of extra support. For example, a resource hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.

The government has committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Work is also under way to enhance the capability and capacity of MHST staff, including through investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs such as disordered eating.