Schools: Mental Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve mental health and wellbeing in young people through the expansion of Mental Health Support Teams in schools.
Answered by Paul Waugh
The government will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early mental health support.
As of March 2026, 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England are covered by an MHST, including 79% of pupils in state-funded secondary schools. We estimate that MHST coverage will reach 66% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
We plan to accelerate the rollout of MHSTs in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029.
More information on MHSTs can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/ and data for 2025/2026 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-support-teams-coverage-and-school-and-college-experience.
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