Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that awareness of the specific symptoms of complex mental health conditions is included in the national curriculum.

Relationships Education is compulsory for all primary school pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is compulsory for all secondary school pupils, and Health Education is compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools.

Mental wellbeing is a key topic in Health Education and there is a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. Pupils are taught about mental wellbeing and physical health to give them the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. Pupils are taught to recognise early signs of mental wellbeing concerns and common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression, and, where issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.

Promotion of good mental wellbeing through the teaching of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is key to the recovery of schools, and the socialisation of pupils once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The statutory RSHE guidance on mental wellbeing is therefore a key priority within the Department’s package of support. The training material, covering mental wellbeing, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. This is alongside other teacher training modules, which aim to help teachers identify the core knowledge pupils may be taught as part of RSHE, and to share this through peer training. These have been developed with subject matter experts and teachers, and are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health#train-teachers-on-relationships-sex-and-health-education.