Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing ringfenced funding for school counselling services.

School-based counselling services can play an important role in supporting pupil mental wellbeing, and many schools already provide access to counselling support.

However, counselling is not suitable for all needs, and many pupils benefit from other in-school support, including from trained pastoral staff, NHS-funded mental health support teams, school nurses, educational psychologists and other professionals. It is important that schools retain the freedom to decide what pastoral support to offer pupils based on their specific needs, making the best use of their funding. School funding increased by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, taking total core school funding to £65.3 billion.

​The government has also committed to provide access to mental health support teams (MHSTs) in every school. ​By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.