Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle levels of anxiety in children at school; and whether she plans to provide additional support to schools for this.

The mental health of children and young people is a priority for this government. In February 2023 we published our fourth annual State of the Nation report, collating and analysing published evidence about the wellbeing of children and young people over the 2021/22 academic year. The report includes consideration of a range of issues related to wellbeing, including anxiety, expectations around schoolwork and exams, and experiences of social media and online bullying. Findings from this series of reports informs work across government to support young people’s mental wellbeing. This publication can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2022-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.

The department is committed to ensuring all schools are safe, calm and supportive environments, which promote mental wellbeing and provide early, targeted support that can help all pupils thrive. It is important to recognise education staff are not mental health professionals and should not be expected to diagnose or treat mental health issues. However, they are well placed to observe and identify children whose behaviour suggests that they may be experiencing a mental health issue.

The department is offering all schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads who can put in place whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. This should include work to promote good mental wellbeing and prevent the onset of mental illness, informed by an understanding of common issues that can affect pupils, such as anxiety. Two thirds of schools and colleges will have been able to access funding for this by April 2023, backed by funding of £10 million in the 2022/23 financial year.

We are also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams working in schools and colleges. These teams offer support to children and young people experiencing common mental health issues, including anxiety, and facilitate smoother access to external specialist support. As of Spring 2022, there are 287 Mental Health Support Teams covering 26% of pupils in schools and learners in further education. More teams are on the way, with over 500 planned to be up and running by 2024.

To support children and young people to manage stress around exam season, we have produced guidance on coping with exam pressure which we updated in 2022. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-exam-pressure-a-guide-for-students.

The mandatory relationships, sex and health education curriculum includes teaching about online safety to ensure children are kept safe both in school and at home. It also covers topics around respect for others and the importance of mental wellbeing.