Bringing Mental Health Support into Our Schools
I know how important it is that every child gets the best possible start in life. That means not just a strong education, but also the right support for their mental health and well-being. That is why I welcome the continued rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools - including right here in Stockport and across Greater Manchester, with three new Mental Health Support Teams in training at the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB), set to roll out services to local schools next year.
Across England, nearly six million children and young people can now access mental health support in their school or college. That is around 800,000 more than this time last year. Here in the North West, that progress is being felt locally. Around 59% of pupils and 44% of schools and colleges in the region are now covered by Mental Health Support Teams, with further expansion already underway.
Parents across Stockport tell me the same thing: they want their children to grow up healthy, happy and able to cope with the pressures of modern life. But we all know this is not always easy. Young people today are navigating exam stress, social pressures, and the lingering impact of recent years and too often, support has not been there early enough.
That is exactly what these Mental Health Support Teams are designed to change. They work directly in schools and colleges, offering:
Early help for anxiety, low mood and emotional difficulties
One-to-one and group interventions
Support for teachers to build a whole-school approach to wellbeing
One of the clearest messages from the evidence is the link between mental health and attendance. We know that when children struggle with their mental health, they are more likely to miss school, and missing school can have long-term consequences. Persistently absent pupils can earn significantly less later in life, and around one million young people nationally are not in education, employment or training, with poor mental health a major contributing factor.
That is why bringing support directly into schools is so important. It removes barriers, reduces stigma, and ensures help is available where children already are. It is already making a difference with 9 in 10 schools saying that MHSTs are improving mental health and wellbeing, and 7 in 10 reporting improved attendance following support interventions.
These new Mental Health Support Teams are part of a wider plan to expand access so that every school and college is covered by 2029. This builds on significant investment in the workforce, including thousands of additional mental health support workers recruited since 2024, helping shift care towards earlier intervention and prevention.
This sits alongside Labour's wider investment in young people and education. Free breakfast clubs are giving millions of children a better start to the day; Best Start Family Hubs are backing parents; school-based nurseries are improving early years education; and more free school meals are fuelling learning. As a result, attendance is improving, behaviour is improving, and now children feel safer, happier and like they belong in school.