Mental Health Services: Schools

The new mental health strategy for England will aim to transform mental health care, including through intervening earlier before distress escalates to diagnosis or crisis, and by supporting children and young people to remain active and engaged in education, family and community life.

The strategy will consider the important role of schools and other education settings, alongside the voluntary sector, local government, and other partners, in delivering a whole-system approach beyond the National Health Service that responds proportionately to children and young people’s mental health needs as they emerge. We also want to promote positive mental health and strengthen psychoeducation so that children, young people, and families are better supported through a whole-school and whole-college approach.

We are also taking action to ensure consistency in the availability and quality of Mental Health Support Teams. We are accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. The independent evaluation of Mental Health Support Teams has provided important evidence on what supports effective delivery, and those findings are being used to inform implementation as rollout continues. We are also investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating.

The Call for Evidence, which is open for eight weeks and will close on 10 July, invites views on practical, implementation evidence when it comes to preventing and responding to mental ill health and distress in settings beyond the NHS, including in school settings.