Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school students received free school meals in the Tooting constituency in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department publishes figures on the proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals. The most recently published figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of hours that school students have been taught PE in (a) primary school and (b) secondary school for each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Information on the number of hours taught for each subject is collected from state funded secondary schools as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.
The number of hours spent teaching physical education in a typical week from 2011/12 to 2021/22 (full time period available), is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/276d8355-0aeb-4b80-7c2c-08db63adc612. Similar data for 2010 is not available, but data related to 2010 is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional.
Timetabled teaching is reported for a typical week in November, as determined by the school. It does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the Department.
The subjects taught are only collected from secondary schools that use electronic timetabling software that can produce data in the format required. Data is then weighted to provide national totals.
Information on the number of hours taught for each subject is not collected from primary schools.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary school students (i) have access and (ii) will have access in the next 12 months to a mental health support team.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The delivery of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in education settings is led by NHS England, with support from the department. MHSTs support the mental health needs of children and young people aged 5 to 18 in primary, secondary and further education (FE).
MHSTs have three core functions:
Guidance on senior mental health lead training can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training, and guidance on a whole school or college approach to mental health support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.
There are currently 398 operational MHSTs in place, and a further 100 teams are currently training Education Mental Health Practitioners, which means around 500 MHSTs will be up and running by April 2024.
An estimated 1.4 million (32%) primary school pupils, and 1.6 million (46%) secondary school pupils are covered by the current operational MHSTs. Data is not yet available by school type for the next 12 months. The department anticipates coverage of pupils in schools and learners in FE to increase from the current 35% to around 44% overall in 2024.
Further information on the MHST rollout progress is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1156762/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many mental health support teams (a) are in place and (b) will be in place in the next 12 months.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The delivery of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in education settings is led by NHS England, with support from the department. MHSTs support the mental health needs of children and young people aged 5 to 18 in primary, secondary and further education (FE).
MHSTs have three core functions:
Guidance on senior mental health lead training can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training, and guidance on a whole school or college approach to mental health support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.
There are currently 398 operational MHSTs in place, and a further 100 teams are currently training Education Mental Health Practitioners, which means around 500 MHSTs will be up and running by April 2024.
An estimated 1.4 million (32%) primary school pupils, and 1.6 million (46%) secondary school pupils are covered by the current operational MHSTs. Data is not yet available by school type for the next 12 months. The department anticipates coverage of pupils in schools and learners in FE to increase from the current 35% to around 44% overall in 2024.
Further information on the MHST rollout progress is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1156762/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure secondary school students are supported with their mental health.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The mental health of children and young people is a priority for this government. The department is committed to ensuring that all schools are safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote mental wellbeing and provide early, targeted support to help all pupils thrive.
To ensure pupils are supported, the department is offering all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads who can put in place effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant.
It is also vital that children and young people have the tools they need to understand and look after their own mental wellbeing. That is why, as of September 2020, our relationships, health and sex education curriculum has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. At primary, pupils will learn simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests. At secondary, teaching will include the benefits of community participation, and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness.
Through health education, pupils will also be taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression. They will also be taught where and how to seek support, including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions.
We are also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working in schools and colleges. These teams offer support to children and young people experiencing common mental health issues and facilitate smoother access to external specialist support. As of March 2023, 3.4 million pupils and learners were covered by MHSTs in schools and colleges in England. Of these, 3.1 million were pupils in schools.
We welcome the findings of the Independent Early Evaluation of Children and Young People’s Mental Health MHST Trailblazer Programme, which revealed substantial progress in implementing MHSTs, despite challenges presented by the pandemic. The findings can be found at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/brace/projects/children-and-young-people%27s-mental-health-trailblazer-programme.aspx. Positive early impacts include improved school and college staff knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues, improved access to support for some groups, and improvements in partnership working. The study also found the experiences of the majority of children and young people who had contact with an MHST were positive. The results of the report will continue to help inform future rollout and mobilisation of MHSTs to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
Further data on the delivery and uptake of MHSTs and senior mental health lead training grants can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that primary school students are supported with their mental health.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The mental health of children and young people is a priority for this government. The department is committed to ensuring that all schools are safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote mental wellbeing and provide early, targeted support to help all pupils thrive.
To ensure pupils are supported, the department is offering all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads who can put in place effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant.
It is also vital that children and young people have the tools they need to understand and look after their own mental wellbeing. That is why, as of September 2020, our relationships, health and sex education curriculum has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. At primary, pupils will learn simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests. At secondary, teaching will include the benefits of community participation, and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness.
Through health education, pupils will also be taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression. They will also be taught where and how to seek support, including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions.
We are also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working in schools and colleges. These teams offer support to children and young people experiencing common mental health issues and facilitate smoother access to external specialist support. As of March 2023, 3.4 million pupils and learners were covered by MHSTs in schools and colleges in England. Of these, 3.1 million were pupils in schools.
We welcome the findings of the Independent Early Evaluation of Children and Young People’s Mental Health MHST Trailblazer Programme, which revealed substantial progress in implementing MHSTs, despite challenges presented by the pandemic. The findings can be found at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/brace/projects/children-and-young-people%27s-mental-health-trailblazer-programme.aspx. Positive early impacts include improved school and college staff knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues, improved access to support for some groups, and improvements in partnership working. The study also found the experiences of the majority of children and young people who had contact with an MHST were positive. The results of the report will continue to help inform future rollout and mobilisation of MHSTs to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
Further data on the delivery and uptake of MHSTs and senior mental health lead training grants can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support teams in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The mental health of children and young people is a priority for this government. The department is committed to ensuring that all schools are safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote mental wellbeing and provide early, targeted support to help all pupils thrive.
To ensure pupils are supported, the department is offering all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads who can put in place effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant.
It is also vital that children and young people have the tools they need to understand and look after their own mental wellbeing. That is why, as of September 2020, our relationships, health and sex education curriculum has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. At primary, pupils will learn simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests. At secondary, teaching will include the benefits of community participation, and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness.
Through health education, pupils will also be taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression. They will also be taught where and how to seek support, including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions.
We are also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working in schools and colleges. These teams offer support to children and young people experiencing common mental health issues and facilitate smoother access to external specialist support. As of March 2023, 3.4 million pupils and learners were covered by MHSTs in schools and colleges in England. Of these, 3.1 million were pupils in schools.
We welcome the findings of the Independent Early Evaluation of Children and Young People’s Mental Health MHST Trailblazer Programme, which revealed substantial progress in implementing MHSTs, despite challenges presented by the pandemic. The findings can be found at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/brace/projects/children-and-young-people%27s-mental-health-trailblazer-programme.aspx. Positive early impacts include improved school and college staff knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues, improved access to support for some groups, and improvements in partnership working. The study also found the experiences of the majority of children and young people who had contact with an MHST were positive. The results of the report will continue to help inform future rollout and mobilisation of MHSTs to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
Further data on the delivery and uptake of MHSTs and senior mental health lead training grants can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in schools in England are covered by mental health support teams in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
The mental health of children and young people is a priority for this government. The department is committed to ensuring that all schools are safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote mental wellbeing and provide early, targeted support to help all pupils thrive.
To ensure pupils are supported, the department is offering all primary schools, secondary schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads who can put in place effective, whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. More than 13,800 schools and colleges have now received a senior mental health lead training grant.
It is also vital that children and young people have the tools they need to understand and look after their own mental wellbeing. That is why, as of September 2020, our relationships, health and sex education curriculum has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. At primary, pupils will learn simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests. At secondary, teaching will include the benefits of community participation, and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness.
Through health education, pupils will also be taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression. They will also be taught where and how to seek support, including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions.
We are also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working in schools and colleges. These teams offer support to children and young people experiencing common mental health issues and facilitate smoother access to external specialist support. As of March 2023, 3.4 million pupils and learners were covered by MHSTs in schools and colleges in England. Of these, 3.1 million were pupils in schools.
We welcome the findings of the Independent Early Evaluation of Children and Young People’s Mental Health MHST Trailblazer Programme, which revealed substantial progress in implementing MHSTs, despite challenges presented by the pandemic. The findings can be found at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/brace/projects/children-and-young-people%27s-mental-health-trailblazer-programme.aspx. Positive early impacts include improved school and college staff knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues, improved access to support for some groups, and improvements in partnership working. The study also found the experiences of the majority of children and young people who had contact with an MHST were positive. The results of the report will continue to help inform future rollout and mobilisation of MHSTs to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
Further data on the delivery and uptake of MHSTs and senior mental health lead training grants can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Answer of 18 January 2023 to Question 126752, on Schools: Mental Health Service, whether (a) her Department is or (b) school are recruiting any mental health specialists as part of her Department's plan to fund all schools and colleges in England to train senior mental health leads.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Shadow Minister (Equalities)
Overall, taking the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations and the additional funding announced in the Autumn Statement 2022 together, core schools funding is increasing by £3.5 billion in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. This takes the total core schools budget for 2023/24 to £57.3 billion.
The Autumn Statement 2022 announced that the core schools budget will increase by £2.0 billion in 2023/24 and a further £2.0 billion in 2024/25, over and above totals announced at Spending Review 2021. This brings the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25, up from £43.5 billion in 2019/20. The increases in funding mean that 2024/25 will be the highest ever level of spending on schools in real terms per pupil.
Schools will have flexibility over how they use the additional grant funding to support their pupils. It will enable school leaders to invest in the areas that we know positively impact educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most, as well as helping schools to manage higher costs, including, for example, higher energy bills and staff pay awards.
As part of increases to the core schools budget, pupil premium rates will increase by 5% for 2023/24, a £180 million increase from 2022/23, taking total pupil premium funding to £2.9 billion. This will support schools to improve the attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
The government is not directly recruiting mental health specialists for schools. Schools are best placed to decide what support to provide and which specialists to recruit to respond to the mental health needs of their pupils. Senior mental health leads will be trained to inform their school’s decision.
Where specialists are recruited into schools to support pupil mental health, it is vital that appropriate links are made with local, specialist services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to ensure children and young people receive the right support for their need. To strengthen the link between education settings and specialist services such as CAMHS, the department is introducing mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges across the country. The teams include additional trained professionals who can provide support directly to pupils as well as supporting school staff.
These teams now reach 26% of pupils, a year earlier than originally planned. This will increase to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils, by April 2023, with over 500 planned to be up and running by 2024. Further information is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/.
To expand access to specialist support, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to increasing investment in mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 and aims for an additional 345,000 children and young people to be able to access NHS-funded mental health support by 2023/24.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many mental health sick days were taken by (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers in each academic year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The number of teacher working days recorded as sickness absence as a result of mental ill health is unavailable.
The number and rates of teacher sickness absence is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/b73b4302-b89f-4295-8b34-08dafb06f66e.