The “glacial” pace at which mental health support teams are being rolled out to schools is “unacceptable”, officials have been warned.
Less than half (44 per cent) of pupils are in settings participating in the mental health support team (MHST) programme, according to data released by the government today.
This number falls even lower for primary school pupils (39 per cent), with previous concerns raised about the extent of MHST rollout to younger pupils.
The data comes after Tes revealed that a third of Year 6 teachers are more concerned about pupil wellbeing compared with this time last year.
The MHSTs were started in 2018 to support children in primary, secondary and further education, in a joint Department of Health and Department for Education response to the 2017 children and young people’s mental health Green Paper.
The government announced that it would have about 600 MHSTs operational by March 2025, with just over half (54 per cent) of pupils covered by the teams by the same point.
Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said this timeline was “just not acceptable”.
“Access varies widely across the country, meaning the level of support available is still something of a postcode lottery,” Ms Mulholland continued.
A third of the country (34 per cent) is covered by the teams, varying from 29 per cent in the Midlands to 40 per cent in London.
Secondary schools currently have the most students covered by an MHST (59 per cent), but this number drops to just a third for special schools (33 per cent) and 38 per cent for alternative provision.
MHST rollout is ‘glacial’
Delivery of the MHST programme in education settings is led by NHS England, with support from the Department for Education.
Ms Mulholland warned that there needs to be “significant investment in tackling the mental health crisis among children and young people, including the rollout of mental health support teams to all schools and colleges as soon as possible”.
She called the MHST rollout progress “glacial”, and said that there should be “no cause for celebration, when set against the increasing demand for support and growing unmet needs”.
Ms Mulholland’s concerns were echoed by the former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield, who added that it is also “unclear” what will happen after 2025.
“Any progress in expanding mental health support teams is welcome but half of school-age children - around four million children in England - will still not have any access under current plans,” said Ms Longfield, who is executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives.
Ms Longfield has previously called for more support for schools after a report by the Centre for Young Lives shows children are waiting “far too long” for mental health treatment.
The government findings also come after teachers reported that they are spending more time supporting pupils with mental health issues this year than they did previously.
Some 84 per cent of teachers have said that they are spending more time helping pupils affected by mental health issues, according to polling commissioned by the charity Teach First.
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
For the latest education news and analysis delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning, sign up to the Tes Daily newsletter
