Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to universities on safeguarding the mental health of (a) students on placements and (b) other students.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Student mental health and suicide prevention are key priorities for this government. We continue to work closely with the higher education (HE) sector to promote good practice. Universities are not only experts in their student population, but also best placed to identify the needs of their particular student body, including those students undertaking placements as part of their studies.
Whilst it is for HE providers to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students to offer that support, the government is proactive in promoting good practice in this area. We continue to work closely with Universities UK (UUK) on embedding the Stepchange programme within the sector. Further information can be found here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/stepchange. Stepchange calls on HE leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority and take a whole-institution approach, embedding it across all policies, cultures, curricula and practice. The Stepchange programme relaunched in March 2020 as the Mentally Healthy Universities programme. The university Mental Health Charter, announced in June 2018, is backed by the government and led by the sector. The charter, developed in collaboration with students, staff and partner organisations, aims to drive up standards of practice, including leadership, early intervention and data collection. Further information can be accessed here: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/charter.html.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, I have stressed the importance of protecting student and staff wellbeing. We recognise that many students are facing additional mental health challenges due to the disruption and uncertainty caused by the outbreak. I have engaged with universities on this issue and have written to Vice Chancellors on numerous occasions during the past year, most recently last month, outlining that student welfare should remain a priority. I have also convened a working group of representatives from the HE and health sectors to specifically address the current and pressing issues that students are facing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
My hon. Friend, the Minister for Children and Families, and I have also convened a Mental Health in Education Action Group to drive action to mitigate the impact of the outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges and universities.
We expect HE providers to continue to support their students, which has included making services accessible from a distance whilst restrictions have been in place. We encourage students to stay in touch with their provider’s welfare teams as these services are likely to continue to be an important source of support. Many providers have bolstered their existing mental health services, and adapted delivery mechanisms including reaching out to students who may be more vulnerable. Staff at universities and colleges have been proactive in supporting their students, showing resourcefulness and there are many examples of good practice.
We have worked with the Office for Students (OfS) to provide Student Space, a dedicated mental health and wellbeing platform for students, which has been funded by up to £3 million by the OfS in the 2020/21 academic year. We have also asked the OfS to allocate £15 million towards student mental health in 2021/22 through proposed reforms to Strategic Priorities Grant funding, to help address the challenges to student mental health posed by the transition to university, given the increasing demand for mental health services. This will target those students in greatest need of such services, including vulnerable groups and hard-to-reach students.
The Office for National Statistics data shows that in 2016/17 – the last year on record – there were 95 student deaths by suicide in England and Wales. Further information can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/estimatingsuicideamonghighereducationstudentsenglandandwalesexperimentalstatistics/2018-06-25#:~:text=The%20rate%20of%20suicide%20in,it%20difficult%20to%20identify%20statistically.
The incoming President of UUK, Professor Steve West, and I will jointly chair a new roundtable on suicide prevention in June. Through this we will develop and support the adoption of the Suicide Safer Universities framework and promote good practice in the sector, helping to make sure students are well supported during their time at university, including when undertaking placements as part of their studies.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of schools providing in-school counselling support as part of a whole school approach to mental health.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department recognises that counselling can play a particularly effective role as part of a whole-school or college approach, and that many schools already provide their pupils access to counselling support.
To support the provision of counselling support in schools, the department published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice, informed by schools and counselling experts, on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling. It also offers information on how to ensure that vulnerable children, including children with special educational needs and disabilities, looked after children and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, who have a higher prevalence to mental illness, can access counselling provision. Further guidance on counselling in schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.
However, the department has not made the provision of access to counselling in schools and colleges mandatory, as it is important for schools to have the freedom to decide what support to offer their pupils, based on their particular needs, and drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. This support can come from a number of sources, including counselling.
The government has invested £8 million in the new Wellbeing for Education Return programme which funded expert advisers who offered training and support to schools and colleges and made links to local support available, including, potentially, counselling. Alongside this, the department launched a £95,000 pilot led by the Education Support charity to provide online peer-support and telephone counselling from experts to around 250 school leaders. The pilot ended in March 2021. The outcome of the pilot will inform any future wellbeing and mental health interventions for staff.
To increase support further in the long term, we remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with the Department of Health and Social care and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams linked to schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.
We have recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, accelerating introduction of Mental Health Support Teams. The support teams, which provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, will grow from the 59 set up by last March to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to make additional wellbeing and mental health support available in schools and colleges to support children and young people dealing with the effect of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The support schools provide to their pupils as they return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to supporting mental health and wellbeing, which will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s recovery. The £700 million package includes a new one-off Recovery Premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged students. This will help schools to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off boost to the support, both academic and pastoral, that has been proved most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and can be used for mental health and wellbeing support.
This funding follows our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package which includes £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020/21 academic year to support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. This is already being used by schools to put in place additional mental health and wellbeing support.
We have recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through Mental Health Support Teams. The support teams, which provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, will grow from the 59 set up by last March to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.
The department has convened its Mental Health in Education Action Group, to look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities. It is bringing together partners to take additional action to support mental wellbeing of children and young people with the return to education settings and with transitions between education settings in September 2021. This will include looking at what more we can do to help schools to make the most effective use of recovery premium to support mental health and wellbeing.
We also remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the recently announced £700 million of funding to help students catch-up on lost learning will be made available for the provision of mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The support schools provide to their pupils as they return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to supporting mental health and wellbeing, which will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s recovery. The £700 million package includes a new one-off Recovery Premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged students. This will help schools to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off boost to the support, both academic and pastoral, that has been proved most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and can be used for mental health and wellbeing support.
This funding follows our £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package which includes £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020/21 academic year to support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. This is already being used by schools to put in place additional mental health and wellbeing support.
We have recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through Mental Health Support Teams. The support teams, which provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, will grow from the 59 set up by last March to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.
The department has convened its Mental Health in Education Action Group, to look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities. It is bringing together partners to take additional action to support mental wellbeing of children and young people with the return to education settings and with transitions between education settings in September 2021. This will include looking at what more we can do to help schools to make the most effective use of recovery premium to support mental health and wellbeing.
We also remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department has spent to date on the delivery of the proposals in the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health green paper.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Department for Education has spent £9.2 million to date on the delivery of our specific commitments outlined in the government’s 2018 response to ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health: A Green Paper’. This includes £2.6 million for supporting the roll-out of new mental health support teams, the national roll-out (and adaptation during the COVID-19 outbreak) of the Link Programme, improving joint working between local health and education partners, and developing a training offer for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges.
In response to the pressures of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government prioritised bespoke training and support to meet the immediate challenges that schools and colleges were facing in supporting children and young people. The department has therefore also spent £6.6 million contributing to the Wellbeing for Education Return programme alongside the Department for Health and Social Care, providing training and support to schools and colleges with their immediate approach to wellbeing and mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme has funded local experts to provide training, advice and resources for schools and further education (FE) providers to help support the wellbeing, resilience and recovery of pupils and students, parents and carers and staff in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.
Over 90% of local authority areas in England have reported that they are delivering additional training and support into local schools and FE providers because of the Wellbeing for Education Return funding, and have been continuing to do so remotely. Nationally, information indicates that more than 15,000 education settings are being offered additional training and support. We remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with DHSC and NHS England, including introducing new mental health support teams for all schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.
The support that schools and FE providers provide to their pupils as they return to face-to-face education should include time devoted to supporting mental health and wellbeing, which will play a fundamental part in supporting children and young people’s recovery. The £700 million package includes a new one-off Recovery Premium for state primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged students. This will help schools and FE providers to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off boost to the academic and pastoral support that has been proved most effective in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. It can be used for mental health and wellbeing support. The expectations for schools in this regard are set out clearly in the department’s guidance to schools, which also signposts further support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.
This funding follows our £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package, which includes £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020/21 academic year to support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. This is already being used by schools to put in place additional mental health and wellbeing and other support.
We have also recently announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through mental health support teams. The support teams provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges, supporting them with their wider approach and liaison with health services. The teams will grow from the 59 set up by last spring to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.
As well as providing additional COVID-19 specific mental health advice and support, our relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education curriculum includes mental health and wellbeing. We have online training materials and implementation guides, as well as case studies, which gives inclusive advice to schools and staff on how best to support pupils’ mental health: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-mental-wellbeing.
The department has convened its Mental Health in Education Action Group to look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and staff in nurseries, schools, colleges, and universities. It is bringing together partners to take additional action to support mental wellbeing of children and young people with the return to education settings and with transitions between education settings in September 2021. This will include looking at what more we can do to help schools to make the most effective use of the recovery premium to support mental health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the importance of the wraparound childcare sector to supporting children’s mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The government recognises the important role wraparound childcare and other out-of-school activities play in providing enriching activities which support children’s physical and mental health, as well as the development of skills and attitudes which promote their wellbeing. That is why we have ensured that all before and after-school clubs, holiday clubs, and other out-of-school settings have been able to continue to stay open for those children that need or rely on these settings most, for the duration of the national lockdown.
Until 8 March 2021, providers could open for all vulnerable children and young people regardless of circumstance, and children of critical workers where the provision was reasonably necessary to support their parents to work, undertake education or training, or access medical care, in line with those children eligible to attend school on site. From 8 March, these providers have been able to open their doors for all children, where the provision supports certain essential purposes, with vulnerable children and young people able to continue accessing provision under any circumstance. We have updated our protective measures guidance for the sector to support them to open for more children as safely as possible, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Given the importance of supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr Alex George has been appointed as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador to advise the government and raise the profile of mental health education and wellbeing in schools. He will play an important role in shaping children’s mental health education and support in schools as part of our plans to ensure all children and young people are supported with their mental health and wellbeing.
The Department for Education also launched in September its £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme. It has supported education staff to respond to the emotional and mental health pressures some children and young people may be feeling as a result of COVID-19. In addition, the Department for Health and Social Care also launched a campaign in September through the Every Mind Matters website to raise awareness of the guidance and tools available to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing. Public Health England continues to update and promote the Every Mind Matters website, available here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/. The government has also provided over £10 million of additional funding to mental health charities to support adults and children.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) GCSE and (b) A-level pupils who were unable to sit exams are not unfairly penalised by not having the opportunity to improve on their predicted grades before schools were closed due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Our priority is to ensure that this year’s grading is as fair as possible, given the exceptional circumstances, so that students can progress to the next stage of their education or training.
For students who were due to sit GCSE, AS level or A level exams this summer, schools and colleges have provided a centre assessment grade for each subject - the grade they believe their students would have most likely achieved had they been able to sit the exam. Ofqual published guidance on awarding GCSE, AS and A levels which explained to schools and colleges how to do this fairly and robustly, drawing on a range of evidence to reach a judgement. This includes any non-exam assessment that students had already completed; the results of any homework or mock exams; and any other records of student performance over the course of study. This could include predicted grades for university applications but centre assessment grades are not the same as predicted grades.
To make sure that grades are awarded fairly between schools and colleges, exam boards are putting all centre assessment grades through a process of standardisation using a model developed by Ofqual.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2020 to Question 52591, and with reference to the recommendation to accelerate the development of culturally competent occupational risk assessment tools on page 10 of the publication of the Public Health England report entitled, Beyond the data: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups, whether his Department plans to implement that recommendation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is committed to reducing the disparity in health outcomes - whether that is from COVID-19 or from other causes – that some BAME communities experience in this country.
The recommendations in the Public Health England report cover a wide range of areas, many of which are already touched on by the terms of reference for the work that was announced by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Equalities on 4 June 2020. Those terms of reference can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-work-on-covid-19-disparities-announced.
The Department continues to encourage schools to be especially sensitive to the needs and worries of Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils, parents and carers, and staff, considering if any additional measures or reasonable adjustments may need to be put in place to mitigate concerns.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the national curriculum includes the knowledge and skills needed for work in (a) the renewable energy sector and (b) green technology.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The National Curriculum aims to prepare pupils with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a wide range of careers. This includes preparing students for further study in engineering and technology which supports careers in sectors such as green technology and renewable energy.
The primary science curriculum lays the foundation for the understanding of energy and mechanics through topics such as light, electricity and forces. This is built upon during Key Stage 3 and 4 physics which includes substantial teaching on topics including energy, electricity, forces and motion. This will be supported by the study of Mathematics. Students may also choose to study GCSEs in design and technology or engineering which teach students to understand technical and engineering processes respectively.
The National Curriculum also teaches pupils about topics such as climate change, use of natural resources and the impact of human actions on the environment in the science and geography programmes of study. This includes study of renewable and non-renewable energy sources in Key Stage 4 physics and the efficacy of recycling in Key Stage 3 chemistry. In 2017, the Department introduced a new environmental science A-Level. This enables students to study topics that will support their understanding of energy resources, including the impact of technology on developing sustainable sources of energy.
In addition, T-Levels are being introduced as part of the Government's commitment to reforming technical education, supporting future skills needs across the economy. In setting T-Level content, employers must consider the inclusion of knowledge and understanding of sustainability as relevant to their sector. For example, in construction, T-Level students will be required to learn about renewable energy and emerging technologies to support energy efficiency.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that environmentalism is in the National Curriculum; and what guidance his Department provides on teaching about climate change.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Topics related to climate change and the environment are included in both the science and geography curricula and qualifications.
In primary science and geography, pupils are taught about the seasons, climate, and habitats of plants and animals. For example, they will look at how environments can change as a result of human actions. In secondary science pupils are taught more about the climate and environment, including about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect that this has on the climate. This is expanded on in GCSE science where pupils will consider the evidence for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change. As part of GCSE geography pupils will look at the causes, consequences of and responses to extreme weather conditions and natural weather hazards.
In 2017, the Department introduced a new environmental science A level. This will enable students to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it can be tackled.
The Department is also funding the Children and Nature Programme, a £10m programme that aims to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have better access to the natural environment. This includes studying about nature and how to care for the natural environment.