Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support school’s in administering statutory suicide prevention training from September 2026.

The updated 'relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education' statutory guidance, published on 15 July 2025, will be implemented in schools from September 2026. The guidance strengthens content on mental health and wellbeing and requires that all secondary schools should also consider how to safely address suicide prevention.

The department has 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.