Almost one million more young people will have access to mental health support in school this year, as the government gets on with delivering its manifesto promise for a national rollout taking a huge step in fixing the inherited challenges facing our children.
Under government plans, all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30, delivering on its Plan for Change to improve children’s life chances and tackle the root causes of poor attendance and behaviour.
The support teams are made up of specialists who offer a range of help to identify and tackle issues early on, from group sessions to build children’s resilience to one-to-ones helping to manage anxiety – not only tackling the crisis of poor mental health among young people, but also driving up school attendance.
They work directly with school and college staff alongside NHS services to provide professional advice, easing the pressure on school staff and allowing them to help young people get the right support and stay in education. New research has shown a direct link between the severity of children’s mental health problems and their likelihood to miss school.
The new investment means six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026, with the rollout prioritised based on NHS identification of local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first.
It comes as government unveils a new programme to provide intensive support for 500 schools with significant attendance and behaviour challenges. New attendance and behaviour hubs, built around 90 schools with a track record of improving attendance and behaviour standards, will directly target the schools with the highest need as well as providing wider support for a further 4,500 in all corners of the country.
These will work alongside our new attendance and behaviour ambassadors who will be the link between schools and the government, identifying challenges and working jointly toward solutions.
This move builds on the progress this government has already made to turn the tide on school attendance, with green shoots already being seen with over three million more days in school than last year.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
We inherited a system full of challenges and breaking the vicious cycle of poor mental health, low attendance and bad behaviour among children and young people is the most urgent one facing our schools – and this government is already turning the tide.
Expanding mental health support for young people is one of the single biggest steps we can take to improve children’s life chances, make sure all pupils are getting the very most out of school and deliver excellence for every child.
Taken alongside new intensive support for schools that are struggling, our free breakfast clubs for millions of children and our wider work to drive up school attendance, this government will continue using all available levers to break the destructive link between background and success and deliver on our Plan for Change.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
Facing mental health problems when you’re young can hold you back in school, damage your potential and leave you with lifelong consequences. It’s devastating and it’s got to change.
That’s why this government is bringing in vital services to schools, so they can intervene early, support pupils, and help prevent conditions from becoming severe.
Backed by an extra £680 million in government funding this year, we are transforming mental health services for children – hiring more staff, delivering more talking therapies, and getting waiting lists down through our Plan for Change – so children can have the best possible start in life.
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
There has been a growing crisis in the mental health of children and young people in recent years, with too many people having to wait too long to get the help they need.
It is reassuring that the government recognises this problem, as well as the impact it is having in schools, and that mental health support will be available to significantly more pupils over the next year.
This is a welcome step towards reaching a point where all children and young people can access this specialist support if required.
Poor attendance has a direct impact on a pupils’ attainment, future earnings and life chances – with persistently absent pupils in secondary school earning £10,000 less at age 28 compared to pupils with strong attendance.
Persistent absence, suspensions and exclusion rates lay bare the broken system that this government has inherited, and while there are green shoots in the data, the government is determined to go further and faster, joining up mental health, wellbeing, attendance and behaviour to drive change for young people.
Mental Health Support Teams currently reach around seven in ten secondary school pupils.
The teams are made up of specialists who intervene early with children with mild to moderate mental health issues, empowering them to work through challenges in a calm and supportive learning environment. They also provide timely advice to school and college staff to develop a whole school approach to mental health and liaise with external specialist services such as the NHS, to help young people get the right support and stay in education.
Mr Gary Lloyd, Head Teacher at The Academy of St Nicholas, Liverpool, which has had access to a mental health support team for a year, said:
Having a trained, known, trusted professional working with the academy has made such a difference in supporting staff and students.
They support our wider inclusion strategies – often triaging and getting support to our young people much faster – which is impacting positively on attendance and general happiness within school.
More widely, the government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. This will work alongside the further 6,500 teachers so every classroom has a brilliant teacher, to ensure that every child is supported in and outside of school.
The government is also taking wider action to drive up standards in schools across the country with innovative RISE teams, to ensure every child has a great education. They will work alongside the attendance and behaviour hubs to drive up attendance in underperforming schools so every child can achieve and thrive.
