This week I report on the DfE’s expansion of mental health support in schools alongside the launch of new attendance and behaviour hubs and the publication of a new report showing the extent to which poor mental health and school absence is related; a consultation on indoor space requirements in EY settings and a new programme to improve PE and sport for pupils with SEND.

DfE sets out its mental health, behaviour and attendance plans
The expansion of mental health support in schools has been announced alongside the launch of 90 attendance and behaviour hubs.

Mental health support teams will be expanded to cover almost a million more pupils by next year. The DfE will invest £49 million to ensure that 6 in 10 pupils (incorporating an additional 900,000 children) will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026. The rollout will be prioritised based on NHS identification of local need and reach the most vulnerable children first.

Alongside, the DfE is launching 90 attendance and behaviour hubs as well as new attendance and behaviour ambassadors. Around 500 schools with “weak attendance and poor behaviour” will be supported by the hubs. Applications are set to open today for 90 lead schools for the new hubs which will start in September, before a full roll out in January and each hub will support six schools. Schools in line for support will have significant attendance and behaviour challenges although it is not clear how they will be chosen, but the hubs will work alongside the regional school improvement teams. The hubs will also support 4,500 more schools via training, events and open days.

The DfE has also published a report using longitudinal data and causal statistical techniques to show the extent to which poor mental health and school absences are related and whether poor mental health contributes to absenteeism.

Consultation on space requirements in early years childcare settings in England
The expansion of funded childcare for working parents requires additional childcare places and one of the barriers to expanding provision is the indoor space requirements in the EYFS frameworks. The DfE is now consulting on potential options for amending the EYFS indoor space requirements in addition to other initiatives planned to increase places by September this year. If you want to take part in the consultation you can use this link and it will close on 11 July.

New programme to improve PE and sport for more than 240,000 pupils with SEND
Yesterday the DfE launched its Inclusion 2028 programme to improve access to PE and school sports for pupils with SEND. Starting in September, with initial funding of £300k, ten thousand teachers will be given training to deliver PE lessons for pupils with SEND as part of a three-year programme.

A network of 50 Youth Sport Trust lead schools will provide training to help teachers create and deliver lessons that meet the diverse needs of all pupils, including those with physical, sensory, cognitive, communication or social and emotional needs. The programme also aims to provide opportunities for 1,500 pupils to develop activities for their peers, with schools set to host events inspired by the Paralympic Games and Commonwealth Games. The DfE plans to support 600 new extracurricular after school clubs to open through the programme offering pupils, including those with diverse needs, the opportunity to take part in a range of sports such as tennis, boccia and archery.