Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: HL Bill 84 of 2024–25
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is scheduled for second reading in the House of Lords on 1 May 2025. The bill would make a number of changes to children’s social care and schools.
Part 1 of the bill includes measures aimed at improving the wellbeing of children, such as provisions to further regulate children’s homes and increase support for care leavers. Part 2 includes measures concerning schools such as the introduction of free breakfast clubs in state primary schools, introducing a register of children not in school and a number of measures about academies.
Many proposals in the bill, particularly in part 1 of the bill, have cross-party support. Some proposals on schools, particularly with regards to academies, have been more contentious. No non-government amendments were made during the bill’s passage in the House of Commons; there were several government amendments. The Education Committee chair, amongst others, expressed concern regarding the speed of the bill’s passage and number of government amendments at a later stage of the bill.
The majority of the bill’s measures would extend to England and Wales and apply to England. Most measures in the bill would come into force on a day specified in regulations by the secretary of state. Some would come into force two months after the act was passed.