Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of counselling services provided in schools in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

The Government's nationally representative survey ‘Supporting mental health in schools and colleges’ showed that 61% of schools and colleges in England already provide counselling services, including 84% of state secondary schools, and 56% of state primary schools. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-mental-health-in-schools-and-colleges.

To support more schools to provide counselling the Government has published a blueprint for school counselling services. This provides practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling to all pupils. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.