No one can thrive academically if they are struggling mentally.
Getting the best education doesn’t just mean having the best teachers – it means being able to go to school in an environment that will care for and support every single pupil to achieve their potential.
For too long, the importance of getting proper mental health support into every school has been ignored. This is despite the well-documented impact on young people of the pandemic, and ongoing issues with attendance and behaviour after lockdowns disrupted learning for so long in many young people’s most formative years. A few weeks ago I joined Rachel Hopkins MP for a Youth Engagement event at Tokko Youth Space, and many of the attendees there told me about the importance of proper mental health support for young people.
Now, this Labour government is taking this issue seriously – starting to deliver on our pledge to put a mental health professional in every school in the country. Starting this year, almost one million students across the UK will get specialised mental health support in schools.
This means six in ten pupils across the country will have access to this mental health support by March 2026, with the roll out prioritising the most vulnerable children first.
Alongside this support in school, the government is also recruiting 8,500 mental health workers across existing Children and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and hiring 6,500 new teachers.
Behind these statistics are real children who may be facing huge emotional challenges, who will now get the support they need to stay in school and excel academically. Going first to areas in need like Luton also means children facing hardship outside of school will be prioritised for the most immediate support.
It will also have an affect long into the future – persistently absent pupils earn £10,000 less at age 28 compared to pupils with strong attendance. Addressing attendance and behaviour through new behaviour hubs will improve every pupil’s life chances.
This government believes everyone deserves the best start in life – regardless of where they were born or the school they attend, which is why policies like this are so welcome, working directly with young people to address they issues they face.
If you need support on this, or any other issue, please do get in touch – sarah.owen.mp@parliament.uk.