Brighton & Hove City Council's School Counselling Pilot Helps Break Down Barriers to Opportunity

Strategic Insights -

Brighton & Hove City Council and the UK Government have launched a school-based counselling pilot to provide additional support to children and young people who have experienced challenges accessing education due to their mental health. The pilot, which began in September 2024, aims to provide additional support alongside the Schools Mental Health Service and has seen 124 young people access counselling support through 701 sessions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The school counselling pilot aims to provide additional support to children and young people who have experienced challenges accessing education due to their mental health.
  • The pilot has seen 124 young people access counselling support through 701 sessions between September 2024 and April 2025.
  • The counselling team have observed that boys and young men are less likely to access counselling, while Black and racially minoritised young people do not always wish to access one-to-one talking therapies.
  • The counselling team hope to tackle this by broadening their offer to include more group work and using a wider range of delivery methods.
  • Patcham High School has had notable success with preventing exclusions and suspensions, with no exclusions in over 5 years.
  • The school's committed approach to inclusion has contributed to this success, with staff providing support systems to avoid exclusions.
  • The pilot has received support from Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan, who has highlighted the importance of mental health support in helping children achieve and thrive in school.

Statistics:

  • 701 counselling sessions provided through the school counselling pilot between September 2024 and April 2025.
  • 124 young people accessed counselling support through the pilot between September 2024 and April 2025.
  • No exclusions in over 5 years at Patcham High School.
  • 8,500 additional mental health workers being recruited to give every child access to mental health support in school according to Minister for Early Education Stephen Morgan.

Sources:

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Patcham High School hosted Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education, Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of Brighton & Hove City Council and Councillor Emma Daniel, Cabinet member for Children, Families and Youth Services, to showcase the impact of our school counselling project.

  • The school counselling pilot was launched in September 2024 for Year 9 students in all state secondary and academy schools across the city, later expanded to include pupils in Years 8 and 10.
  • Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said: "Patcham High School is a wonderful school and we're really proud of its committed approach to inclusion. "
  • Stephen Morgan, Minister for Early Education, said: "It was fantastic to visit Patcham High School, seeing how mental health support helps break down the barriers to opportunity and make sure that every child gets the best start in life. "
  • John McKee, headteacher at Patcham High School, said: "We were delighted to welcome Minister Stephen Morgan and our local councillors to see first-hand how our counselling pilot is supporting students' well-being and attendance. "
  • Kerry Hallett, director of Student Support at Patcham High School, added: "We are very proud of the support we give young people with their mental health, and helping to keep them in education, as well as the relationships that we build with our parents and families in the community. "