According to school leaders and experts, ministers’ efforts to promote “perseverance” among children cannot replace mental health support in England schools.

Health Minister of Education Bridget Phillipson claimed in an article in the Daily Telegraph that more Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTS) “not only will they stop spiraling towards the crisis, but they will also cultivate much-needed grit – vital to academic success and life beyond the school in the next generation.

Phillipson announced £49 million to increase the number of MHSTs and provided £49 million in funding to 60% of children in England state schools by spring 2026. The NHS-trained staff team has the ability to provide school-wide and personal support for children with mild to moderate mental health issues such as social anxiety.

Place2BE, a charity dedicated to providing mental health support for children, said it saw record numbers with highly complex needs that require targeted interventions, but faces long wait times for the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) through the NHS.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “Many students in many schools need to go beyond the ‘mild to moderate’ range. Therefore, it is crucial that these young people (young people who also strive to get CAMHS support have access to high-quality, targeted clinical support.”

“The introduction of MHST to each school is really just part of the solution, and being alone is not enough to truly meet the government’s declaration commitment to professional support in each school, nor does it effectively address the mental health difficulties faced by young people this year.”

Labor’s 2024 election declaration guarantees that all young people can contact mental health professionals in schools, and the government said it will meet at the end of the current parliament in 2029-30.

Asked about the meaning of her “courage” on the BBC Radio 4 Today show, Philipson said young people face multiple challenges of “abandonment” that could be alleviated by the MHST in the school’s operation.

“That was getting there early when young people were struggling to make sure they could find trained qualified professionals who could help them manage,” Philipson said.

The expansion of MHST is welcomed by teaching unions, including the National Association of Principals and the National Education Union (NEU), although many teachers have expressed doubts about previous government efforts and efforts to study its value and whether it can be taught and whether it can be taught.

A review of the study conducted on the Education Endowment concluded: “Some noncognitive skills, including 'perseverance' and self-control, are closely related to outcomes, but seem to be more similar to stable personality traits than with extendable skills.”

NEU Secretary General Daniel Kebede said the highest focus of teachers is to reduce the time waiting for children to visit experts such as speech and speech therapists. "School staff are also eager to see the government address social problems such as poverty and disadvantage that make life opportunities so unequal," Kebede said.

Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza will soon release an annual report on the status of children’s mental health services. Her previous report found that MHSTS treated 38,000 cases in 2022-23, waiting on average for 30 days, and 38,000 of the children and young people seen in 678,000 mental health services.