Children in schools are to be given additional mental health support as part of a raft of new measures rolled out by the government to help build up resilience in young people.
On Friday, Labour announced it was rolling out a manifesto promise to provide almost one more million students access to mental health in school this year.
Aimed at improving children’s life chances and tackling school absenteeism, the government said intensive support would be offered at 500 schools while new attendance and behaviour hubs will be built at 90 schools that will also provide wider support across a further 4,500 sites.
Specialist support teams will be sent into schools and colleges to identify issues with students, hold group sessions to help them build resilience and offer one-on-one sessions to on anxiety.
Speaking on Sky News on Friday morning, education secretary Bridget Phillipson was asked if the measures showed she thought children didn’t have “grit” to deal with mental health issues.
She replied: “I think it’s more a question that it’s often hard to be a young person growing up today, and life can have its ups and downs. And what I’m announcing together with the health secretary [Wes Streeting] is that over a million more children will now be able to benefit from mental health support teams.
“There will be access for a million more children than was the case before, and with over 60 per cent of children and young people having that support.
“If we can get in there early when children are having problems, we know we can make a big difference.
“Because what’s also clear is that where young people have mental health problems, that has a knock-on effect on their attendance at school, and we’ve made really big progress in recovering some of the losses that we’ve seen in recent years…. that’s really encouraging, but there’s a lot more we need to do.”
She added: “Young people’s mental health is a really important part of that jigsaw about how we ensure that they’re in school, that they’re able to thrive, and, yes, that they’re able to manage the ups and downs that can come of being a young person in modern Britain.”
Latest figures show the number of children missing school remains high compared to pre-pandemic levels, with recent government statistics showing 18 per cent of pupils were persistently absent – missing 10 per cent of sessions or more – in the current academic year.
Persistently absent pupils in secondary school earn £10,000 less at the age of 28 compared to those with strong attendance, said the Department for Education.
And a report by UCL Social Research Institute published this week found teenagers from the poorest backgrounds were much more likely to be temporarily excluded from school than their advantaged peers.
Labour’s roll-out of mental health support will reach 60 per cent of school children by March 2026, the party said. Currently, services reach seven in ten secondary school pupils.
Mr Streeting said the measures would help provide children the best possible start in life.
He said: “Facing mental health problems when you’re young can hold you back in school, damage your potential and leave you with lifelong consequences. It’s devastating and it’s got to change.
“That’s why this government is bringing in vital services to schools, so they can intervene early, support pupils, and help prevent conditions from becoming severe.”
