The Children’s Wellbeing Bill
Last week’s King's Speech and the state opening of parliament marked a significant day for the nation as it outlined the new government’s legislative priorities for the year ahead -including the Children's Wellbeing Bill.
Last week’s King's Speech and the state opening of parliament marked a significant day for the nation as it outlined the new government’s legislative priorities for the year ahead -including the Children's Wellbeing Bill.
As the new government sits, NGA looks forward to working with them to improve the education sector and increase the support and visibility of the over 250,000 governance volunteers and professionals in England.
Given Labour’s large parliamentary majority, it is reasonable to expect that most of its proposals will become law. While some of the specifics may be amended as part of the legislative process, the Children’s Wellbeing Bill is likely to become the first significant piece of education law in England for ten years.
The proposed legislation covers an array of areas, including
- Bringing MATs into the inspection system - a cause NGA has long championed. The existing Ofsted framework is based on school-level inspections, which neglects the reality of trusts as one organisation with the trust as the accountability body. Over the years, we have engaged with our members on this issue and found that even the trustees themselves are highly supportive. The devil will be in the detail - building an inspection framework that considers all of the pillars of a quality trust, including governance, financial management and workforce, and ensuring inspectors have the skills to effectively work within it. Thought will need to be given to how inspectors can see enough individual academies to develop a trust-wide judgement while also considering the workload and wellbeing of leaders. Given the lack of trust in Ofsted across the sector, it is vitally important that stakeholders are involved in developing the framework and buy-in to any new system. Nonetheless, the recognition that change is needed is undoubtedly positive.
- Strengthening multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangement - a real area of concern for those governing. Our 2024 annual governance survey painted a stark picture, with 49% of respondents reporting a rise in safeguarding concerns compared to just 4% who reported a decrease. The most commonly identified concerns were cyber-bullying, domestic abuse and neglect, all areas where effective multi-agency child protection can make a huge difference.
- Requiring free breakfast clubs in every primary school - a headline measure to break down barriers to opportunity and help tackle child poverty. According to our 2024 survey, only 52% of primary schools currently provide breakfasts, so this proposal will make a big difference in many schools. We hear so much from our members about the burdens placed on schools by rising child poverty and a reduction in support services. We fully support the aspiration of reducing child poverty and look forward to working with the government on a range of initiatives to do just that.
- Greater powers for local authorities around admissions to improve SEND inclusion and place planning. These proposals reflect two issues which NGA have identified and raised previously. There are major issues around SEND inclusion, with growing demand and tightened budgets necessitating urgent action to address SEND provision gaps, which was one of our five key asks in our annual survey. Additionally, broader admissions challenges, including falling rolls in primary schools and the dual system of trusts and maintained schools, complicate strategic planning for school places in a given area. We will await further information on the proposed changes, but it is encouraging that these issues have at least been identified.
- A duty on local authorities to have and maintain Children Not in School registers and provide support to home-educating parents. This is a sensible measure to help keep children safe and maximise the opportunities open to them. More children than ever before are being home-educated, so this is a pressing concern, but consideration also needs to be given to the capacity of local authorities, who are already under significant pressure. Similarly, there are also proposals to strengthen the regulation and inspection of independent schools. This should again help to keep children safe, but consideration needs to be given to Ofsted's capacity to effectively use any additional powers.
- Measures around ensuring all new teachers have, or are working towards, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and requiring all schools to teach the national curriculum. Consistent and high standards for both teachers and the curriculum are positive and will not affect most schools that already fulfil these expectations. It will be essential to give academies that do not currently deliver the full national curriculum the support they need to meet any new requirements.
All in all, many proposals align with NGA’s long-term campaigning priorities. Of course, we have only seen the headline measures, and a lot will depend on the details in the bill itself. We will ensure that the voices of those governing are heard as the bill progresses through the legislative process.
There are also several challenges facing boards that are not addressed by these proposals, such as school funding and governance recruitment, and we will continue to argue for action in these areas while supporting any positive changes that are proposed and delivered.
Read our Co-Chief executive, Emma Balchin, comment on the King's speech here.
Trust Governance Specialist and South West Regional Officer
Michael specialises in trust governance, co-ordinating NGA's work with multi-academy trusts and producing tailored resources. He also leads NGA's work in the West Midlands, working closely with the region's trusts and local authorities.