NGA comments on the King's speech and the Children’s Welfare Bill

On July 17th, King Charles delivered the new Labour government’s first King's speech as part of the State Opening of Parliament. The speech officially started the parliamentary year and included the government's commitment to enact a new Children's Wellbeing Bill.

Co-Chief Executive, NGA, Emma Balchin said:
“We welcome many of the measures outlined in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill introduced yesterday (17th July) and the government's commitment to education. We look forward to working with the new Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, and Minister of State with responsibility for governance, Catherine McKinnell, alongside the Department for Education to represent our members and the views of those governing England’s schools and trusts.
We are encouraged by the government's action on challenges like the cost-of-living crisis and educational inequality. We have campaigned for many of the policies in the bill and look forward to collaborating with the government, our members and partners to analyse and contribute our experience to these plans.
Our 2024 annual governance survey outlines the stark reality of the unprecedented challenges our members and their schools and trusts face. A staggering 60% of governing boards cite balancing the budget as their biggest challenge, the highest it has ever been. We look forward to hearing further details on how the government will meet the funding challenges in schools and trusts alongside much needed plans to reform funding for special educational needs and disabilities.
We urge the new government to acknowledge the critical role governing boards play as a key partner in striving for improvement. The dedication of schools, trusts, leaders, staff, and boards is unquestionable. Our manifesto called for a nationwide recruitment campaign to emphasise the vital importance of governance and to inspire more individuals to volunteer their time to lead our schools. This need has never been more pressing, as 76% of boards currently struggle to recruit new governors and trustees.
NGA will continue to advocate for governance and promote collaboration to better serve our young people.”

For more information on Labours manifesto and pledges, read our blog published before the King's Speech. An in-depth guide will be published shortly. Our manifesto for the governance sector can be accessed here: From classrooms to communities: a manifesto for schools and trusts