The Bishop of Lincoln asked a question on improving mental health provision in primary schools, particularly schools in small, rural settings, on 4th February 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln: My Lords, the Rural Mental Health report produced in the other place highlighted that
“NHS mental health services are often not fairly accessible for rural communities”,
with services largely centred in towns and cities,
“creating barriers to access, compounded by the limitations and weaknesses of rural public transport and digital connectivity”.
I declare an interest because 65% of small, rural primary schools across England are Church schools. When developing plans to improve mental health provision in primary schools, how does the Minister intend to ensure equity of access and quality for students in small, rural settings?
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab, DfE): The right reverend Prelate makes an important point about the challenges for schools in rural areas to access the mental health support that we will make available. He identified the considerable difficulties for young people who really need child and adolescent mental health services in accessing them. That is why this Government will fund an additional 8,500 mental health workers to support both children and adults. As we continue to develop the policy to ensure that there is access to a mental health professional in every school, we will certainly bear in mind the important points that he made about the particular needs of rural schools.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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