Labour has introduced its landmark children’s bill to parliament, bringing in a range of sweeping changes which will affect both parents and educators.
Introduced by Department for Education (DfE) secretary Bridget Phillipson, the new legislation is designed to improve children’s safety and education standards in the UK.
Ms Phillipson said: “In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state.”
“This bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the plans:
Major changes to homeschooling
For those parents who choose to home educate their children, there are some major changes coming. Alongside the identifier numbers, Labour is introducing a compulsory Children Not in School register, which all home educated children but be on.
Parents will also have the automatic right to home educate their children withdrawn if their child is subject to a child protection investigation or under a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have the power to require school attendance if the home is deemed an unsafe environment.
Home educators that “are providing a good, safe education” will be able to continue to do so, the DfE says.
The bill was introduced on the same day that Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother were sentenced to life in prison for the 10-year-old’s murder. Mr Justice Cavanagh said the case “starkly illustrates the dangers” of parents’ automatic right to homeschool children.
Register of all children, in or out of school
Labour says they are piloting using a “single unique identifier number” for children across all services. It will work similar to a national insurance number, which most people get when they turn 16.
The new system is designed to help authorities which are responsible for the safeguarding and welfare of children. Working withing “existing data protection laws,” relevant services will be able to request information to identify children that may require support.
The DfE says the measure will prevent any child from “falling through cracks,” along with other new laws introduced in the bill.
Changes to schools – and a move away from academies
In perhaps the biggest change for educators, the bill sets out several policies which mark a major move away from previous Conservative ideas around schooling.
Following a drive by Tory governments beginning in 2010, academies have proliferated across England. Current laws stipulate that, in most cases, failing state schools are ‘forced’ to become academies, and any new school opened but also be an academy.
This legislation has meant that local authority-ran ‘maintained schools’ faced being essentially phased out over time, as the Conservative ambition of an all-academy England was underway.
This is now being undone, in part, by Labour. The new bill will give the DfE flexibility on how it can approach failing schools, with the department noting that “forced academisation has not always been effective and can be highly disruptive for pupils, staff and parents.”
Councils will also be able to begin opening new schools of all kinds, not just academies.
New curriculum
Labour has issued an independent review of the national curriculum, aiming to bring consistency to schools. At present, over half of all children attend academies, which do not have to teach the national curriculum.
The new bills seeks to change this, ensuring that all state-funded schools teach the same curriculum. It will begin being rolled out when the review concludes in autumn 2025.
The DfE says the new curriculum for 5- to 19-year-olds will balance “ambition, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity.” The review will look to deliver a broader range of topics, a renewed focus on vocational skills, and reflect “the issues and diversities of our society.”
