Mental health support is vital for students – much is already there

There are different methods I use to raise awareness of North Devon’s concerns in Westminster; they range from asking Parliamentary Questions in the Chamber (OPQs) to meeting directly with ministers. Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) are another such way of making representations.

After a recent hustings event at Petroc with their politics students, it was raised by one of the panellists that their manifesto commitment was for a mental health specialist in each school, with the suggestion that schools were not currently equipped for dealing with their students’ mental health challenges.

I am sure they would welcome further help, but I am aware of how much support is already available in schools for students, having taught briefly myself, and as a Government, we have committed to helping students overcome barriers in school by improving mental health support. 

Given this, I submitted a WPQ to check how many schools were taking advantage of the funding and support I knew was already available.

The increased grants for senior mental health leads in school, which my WPQ referred to, have enabled targeted support for students and their needs, with over 14,000 schools claiming this grant.

I received a response from the Education Minister, David Johnston OBE MP and there have been, in fact, a total of 23 grant applications made by schools in North Devon to date.

You can read the complete response to the WPQ on my website here: https://www.selainesaxby.org.uk/education-0

It was wrong to suggest there is no support for mental health in schools and is vital to get these facts correct, especially when speaking to students because I know that colleges such as Petroc take the wellbeing of students and staff incredibly seriously.

The college's website states a number of options available for support, including Petroc's Wellbeing and Support Team, which provides a safe and confidential service that offers one to one support and guidance to help learners overcome any barriers they face whilst studying.

Alongside the Senior Mental Health Grant Scheme, there has also been an increase in Mental Health Support Teams. These offer support in schools and colleges for common mental wellbeing issues such as anxiety and low mood.

By March 2025, this support will be available to at least 50 per cent of students in England, with more than 3.4 million pupils currently covered by these support teams.

We need to ensure that children and families feel supported enough to attend school so students do not suffer from the impacts of low attendance.

As well as the mental health support teams, the Government has published guidance for schools titled 'Working together to improve school attendance’.

I supported Flick Drummond MP for Meon Valley’s, 'Children not in school (register)' 10 Minute Rule Bill back last May to place a duty on local authorities to maintain a register of children not in school to address safeguarding concerns and make suitable arrangements.

Flick will be presenting this bill again in the Chamber the same day as my own Private Members’ Bill and I look forward to speaking in support again.

There is far more going on at Westminster than some of the click bait graphics on social media would have you believe and I hope as the General Election comes closer residents will challenge what is on leaflets for its factual accuracy.

One part of my six point plan when I was elected was to 'Support the Next Generation' and ensure that students in North Devon have the support they need to remove the barriers to fulfil their full potential and I will continue my work on that going forward.

If you have any questions or issues, you can always reach to my office at selaine.saxby.mp@parliament.uk