YOUNG people in the most deprived areas of the country are less likely to receive the mental health support they need than their peers, a report suggests.

A quarter of Year 13 students have sought some mental health support over the past year, but many struggled to access services, according to the study by the University College London (UCL) centre for education policy and equalising opportunities, the UCL centre for longitudinal studies and the Sutton Trust.

Of the students who sought mental health support, 35 per cent said they had yet to receive it or were on a waiting list.