New laws expected to bring mental health improvements and school reform

Following the recent General Election, this week the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has given us a glimpse of his priorities for the coming year.

Taking place once a year and delivered by the Monarch, the King’s Speech is written by the Government and helps to shape the political agenda across the next session of Parliament. The Speech sets out a list of proposed new laws (or ‘bills’) that the Government intends to introduce. These bills are based on the commitments made by the Labour Party in their Manifesto.

What was included? 

Place2Be welcomed Labour's manifesto commitments to reform education and break down barriers to opportunity. The manifesto also committed to removing tax exemptions in private schools to fund the recruitment of new teachers and mental health practitioners in schools.  

Announced this week, the new Children’s Wellbeing Bill would bring in a swathe of school reforms including breakfast clubs in primary schools, improvements to teacher qualification and Ofsted inspections.  

While this proposed bill doesn’t seem to deliver on-site mental health support, promisingly, the King did state that the Government intends to “focus on prevention and improve mental health provision for young people.” 

As a leading provider of school-based mental health services dedicated to early intervention, it's positive to hear of a commitment to championing children’s mental health. Similarly, through expressing this in law, we could hopefully deliver consistent outcomes and high-quality support for every child across the country. We hope that a Bill to expand access to these services is forthcoming as a matter of urgency.   

The Government has also pledged to reform the Mental Health Act, to make it fit for the 21st century. This has been a long-standing campaign led by organisations such as Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and is a great step towards giving everyone struggling with their mental health the compassionate care they deserve.  

Across the country there are examples of excellence, led by local authorities who are committed to supporting children’s mental health. The Government has pledged to give greater powers to Metro Mayors; and we hope  this place-based approach ensures that areas have the right support and tools to deliver in their communities.

What comes next? 

There is no certainty that any of the proposed new laws will come into effect, or how long it will take. Similarly, this is not an exhaustive list, and many other pieces of legislation could be passed through Parliament this year.  

However, this week’s announcements present a key opportunity to work with the Government to give every child the right support for their mental health. It's encouraging to see the moves towards mental health reform – and we know that by intervening early with support in school, we can prevent issues from worsening later in life. We urge the Government to bring in the legislation needed to deliver this as soon as possible.  

The Children’s Wellbeing Bill represents a promising starting point, but ultimately we need to make schools an inclusive environment where every child can thrive. We know that schools are continuing to struggle with high workload, issues with pupil mental health, behaviour, attendance and attainment.  

Solving this needs long term commitment and ambition, as well as collaboration behind a shared mission. This means wider reforms are needed, working with school leaders, the third sector, health, children’s services and Ofsted – and backed by the Government.  

We hope to work with the new Government throughout the summer break, to share our expertise and 30 years’ experience of working with school communities to promote positive mental health.  

We want to build a system where - come September - every child can walk through their school gates feeling positive, accepted and like they belong. Only then can we break down the barriers to opportunity.