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From the Commons to the classroom: what you need to know about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act

Since the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was first published in December 2024, it’s been steadily progressing through Parliament, and debate about what it could mean for schools has been making headlines. This week, after the final round of amendments, the Bill has become law.

Blog
30/04/2026

Since the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was first published in December 2024, it’s been steadily progressing through Parliament, and debate about what it could mean for schools has been making headlines. This week, after the final round of amendments, the Bill has become law.

Combined with February’s long-awaited white paper and the multiple accompanying consultations, it can be hard to keep up with the rapid pace of reform this year. Governors and trustees are asking what this new law, the most significant piece of education legislation for a decade, means for their schools and trusts. This blog sets out some of the key changes and what they signal for the system.

Why this law matters

This law brings wide-ranging reforms across core areas of education and safeguarding, focused on strengthening how schools and partner agencies work together to identify risks earlier and prevent children from falling through the cracks. Not all of these safeguarding changes are relevant to schools and trusts, but those that are will be reflected in September’s Keeping Children Safe in Education and our accompanying guidance.

While some measures introduce immediate legal duties, others create powers that will be shaped by future guidance or secondary legislation. This means that, in many areas, this legal change is only the start of reform.

 

A more aligned school system

One of the clearest themes running through the Act is greater alignment across all state schools. Early debate focused heavily on academies and whether long-held freedoms were being rolled back. As the Bill progressed, proposals have been refined, but the direction of travel remains toward greater consistency in core expectations, regardless of school type. These changes will predominantly impact trusts, as the law extends many existing requirements for maintained schools to the trust sector.

Much of this shift can be seen in staff pay and conditions through the introduction of a national “floor with no ceiling” approach to teacher pay across all schools, and the requirement for all teachers in state schools to hold or be working towards qualified teaching status. In addition, trusts will no longer be able to opt out of the national curriculum once the revised version is introduced, currently expected from September 2028. Meanwhile, the automatic assumption that new schools must open as free schools will end, meaning local authorities (LAs) will be able to propose maintained schools where this best supports local place planning and community need.

The trust landscape continues to evolve

Today, more than half of schools are part of a MAT, and we can expect that number to grow since the government recently stated its ambition for all schools to eventually join a trust rooted in its local community. With this destination in mind, the Act begins to reshape the system architecture needed to support it. Significantly, the Act creates the legal foundation for trust inspections, alongside new intervention powers where standards are not met. We have long argued that accountability must reflect the reality of the school system, which means developing an inspection framework that recognises the complexity and nuance of governance across multiple schools. We are pleased that this is being accompanied by a more flexible and proportionate approach to school improvement and intervention, with the Act ending the requirement for maintained schools judged to be causing concern to be issued with academy orders automatically. Instead, most schools will receive support from new RISE teams within their existing structure.

Our involvement in the Department’s Improving Education Together (IET) groups places us at the forefront of ongoing discussions with the government on these plans. Through this work, we are engaging directly with the emerging standards and the DfE’s vision for a MAT inspection framework, which is expected to be developed in more detail shortly. We will continue to represent the voice of trustees, local governors and governance professionals alike, in shaping what a fair and workable framework looks like. Current plans suggest that trust inspections could begin in 2027, supported by a new set of trust standards, also expected imminently.

 

  • "Meanwhile, the automatic assumption that new schools must open as free schools will end, meaning local authorities (LAs) will be able to propose maintained schools where this best supports local place planning and community need."

    Admissions: greater shared responsibility

    After much back and forth, the Act’s changes to school admissions have become law, but in a slightly refined form. The finalised changes include:

    • New statutory duties requiring schools and LAs to work collaboratively on fair access protocols and strengthen place planning.
    • Powers for LAs to direct an academy to admit a pupil (previously a power that only applied to maintained schools), but academies retain a right of appeal.
    • A clearer role for the Schools Adjudicator in setting published admission numbers (PANs), but only once necessary steps have been taken, including consultation with relevant bodies. An amendment was passed which requires the Adjudicator to take school quality and parental preference into account when setting the PAN.

    The Admissions Code is also due to be updated, and NGA will respond to the accompanying consultation once it goes live this summer.

    Growing up in an online world

    One of the most debated aspects of the Bill centres on the digital world young people are growing up in. The legislation requires schools to take account of national guidance on pupils’ use of mobile phones during the school day and on school premises – strengthening the expectation that schools should be phone-free environments.  It also establishes government powers to limit children’s access to certain online services and introduces more robust age assurance requirements.

    These powers on limiting access to social media are intended to complement the current national consultation on children’s use of social media and the digital world more broadly, to which many of our members are actively contributing their views. The new law means the government can act quickly following the consultation to implement its recommendations. In a recent survey, 90% of respondents told us their school/trust already has some form of mobile phone restriction in place, while 59% felt that a change in law is still needed. Clearly, many of you are already acting and are likely to welcome the move towards definitive statutory backing.

    Removing barriers to opportunity

    Alongside more structural reforms, the Act also brings forward a set of measures focused on the practical routes that improve school readiness. Some of these policies will already be familiar, but the Act now gives them a statutory footing. They include:

    • free breakfast clubs in all primary schools
    • limits on school uniform costs: from September 2026, schools will be restricted to requiring no more than three branded items (or four in secondary schools)
    • eligibility for free school meals will be expanded to all households in receipt of Universal Credit

    Boards will need to consider their uniform policies, and their school or trust readiness to meet the new expectations on breakfast and lunches.

    • "Alongside more structural reforms, the Act also brings forward a set of measures focused on the practical routes that improve school readiness. Some of these policies will already be familiar, but the Act now gives them a statutory footing.."

      Supporting pupils with allergies

      You may also have seen a recent DfE consultation proposing new statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical needs and allergies. The aim is to strengthen and bring greater consistency to the support that schools are expected to provide for these pupils, with the Act providing the legal framework underpinning this direction of travel.

      We recognise the significant safeguarding responsibilities schools already hold and have responded to the consultation reflecting the board’s role in strategically supporting risk management and pupil wellbeing. The new academic year will also bring a webinar to help you understand the new expectations for schools and support preparation for implementing a more allergy-conscious approach in your settings.

      Reform readiness   

      There is a substantial package of reforms to get to grips with, but much of it will arrive in stages through consultation and phased implementation. Now is the time to:

      • consider which of the changes are immediate and which are still to come
      • reflect on how robust current practices are in your organisation to support the implementation of some of the areas discussed
      • maintain ongoing communication with your senior leader to stay up to date with any changes taking place at your school or trust

      While the policy landscape shifts, the core role of governors and trustees remains constant. The route from Westminster to the classroom can be complex, but your role in helping schools navigate it with clarity and confidence does not go unnoticed.

      We are here to support you and to represent your views. We respond to live consultations, engage directly with government, and gather your feedback through surveys to ensure the voice of governance is heard clearly.

      As reform moves from legislation into practice, we will continue to champion your voice and help shape the strongest possible school system for every child.

       

      Fariha Choudhury

      Senior Policy and Impact Officer

      Fariha supports the development of NGA's policy and information outputs with a particular focus on multi academy trust governance. Alongside working at NGA, Fariha is undertaking a Masters in Education at the University of Birmingham.

      View Fariha's full profile

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