Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: a summary

Get to grips with the key headlines in the government's proposed legislation, which aims to better protect children and raise standards in education.

Last reviewed on 25 March 2025See updates
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Contents
  1. Where are we now?
  2. What are the proposed changes?
  3. Reform of safeguarding arrangements
  4. Wider measures for all schools
  5. Greater flexibility over pay
  6. New duties and expectations for academies
  7. Tighter regulations for independent schools
  8. Changes to definitions
  9. Checks on prospective proprietors
  10. Change to appeals against private school closures
  11. Material changes

Where are we now?

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill has completed all its initial stages in the House of Commons. It has had its second reading in the House of Lords, and will now be considered at committee stage on 20 May 2025. 

No immediate action is required

The bill is not statutory guidance or legislation, and schools/trusts don't need to make any changes yet. The bill still has to pass through the last stages of the legislative process before it becomes law, and the proposals in the bill might change during this time.

We'll update this article to reflect any changes in the progress of the bill. Select 'Save for later' at the top of this article to be informed when we do.

What are the proposed changes?

The bill aims to improve children's wellbeing through a series of reforms affecting schools, local authorities (LAs) and other child services.

The bill proposes over 30 changes and is organised into 2 parts: