On 17 December, Catherine McKinnell MP, Minister for School Standards, introduced the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill into Parliament for its First Reading.

For more detail on the Bill, you can visit: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/17/the-childrens-wellbeing-bill-what-parents-need-to-know/.

The Bill is a key step in delivering the Labour Government’s Plan for Change, strengthening protections for children and seeking to improve the education system so that every young person can achieve and thrive at school.

To break down the barriers to opportunity and drive high and rising standards in our schools, the Bill includes legislation to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school and will require all state-funded schools to teach the national curriculum.

In addition, it will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers to every local authority in England, and ensure that parents no longer have the automatic right to home educate if their child is under a child protection investigation or plan.

Councils and schools will be empowered to work together to ensure there are enough school places in the local community so that children without a place can get one quickly. Alongside this, the Bill will enable greater flexibility for the Government to intervene in failing schools as well as giving councils the opportunity to open all types of school, not just academies, so they can meet the needs of local parents.

Catherine commented:

“I was delighted to introduce the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to Parliament today – an important step to deliver our Plan for Change and better protect children and young people across the country.

“With this Bill, the Government continues to work tirelessly to break the link between young people’s background and their future success.”