Children's Wellbeing and School Bill

Education Committee Open Non-inquiry session
Opened: 21 Jan 2025 Parliament page
5 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
5 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 9 events
23 May
2025
Report published
6 May
2025
Correspondence
23 Apr
2025
Correspondence
18 Mar
2025
Correspondence
28 Feb
2025
Report published
4 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
4 Feb
2025
Correspondence
4 Feb
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
7 Jan
2025
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
4 Feb 2025
View on parliament.uk
Children's wellbeing and School Bill
Clare Canning · Broadleaf Home Ed Co-operative Councillor Bev Craig · Local Government Association (LGA) Daniel Kebede · National Education Union Dr Rebecca Montacute · Sutton Trust John Barneby · Oasis Community Learning Kate Anstey · Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) Lindsey MacDonald · Magic Breakfast Sam Freedman · The Institute for Government Thomas Brooke · Office of the Schools Adjudicator
Title HC No. Published Items Response
2nd Report – Scrutiny of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bi… HC 732 28 Feb 2025 13 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
Clear
2 Conclusion Not Addressed
2nd Report – Scrutiny of the Child…
Government's compressed bill timetable obstructs effective select committee scrutiny
The Government did not, in this case, publish the Bill in draft. Nonetheless, the Bill’s timetable could have factored in time for our Committee to come to a considered view on its contents. Although the Minister for School Standards had … Read more
Government Response
The government defends its decision not to publish the Bill in draft and its compressed timetable, stating it aligns with legislative programme requirements and seeks to progress landmark reforms quickly.
Department for Education
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4 Recommendation Not Addressed
2nd Report – Scrutiny of the Child…
Require Government to follow legislative guidelines and engage meaningfully with select committees
We recommend that the Government undertakes to follow the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation and engage meaningfully, and in a timely way, with select committees as a way of improving policy making and building consensus on important legislation. We … Read more
Government Response
The government's response defends its past engagement process for the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill but does not address the recommendation to commit to following engagement guidelines with select committees more meaningfully in the future or to provide a memorandum to the Liaison Committee.
Department for Education
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5 Conclusion Not Addressed
2nd Report – Scrutiny of the Child…
Tight government timetable forced selective committee scrutiny of bill contents
We would have liked to dedicate more time to a considered examination of the policy issues in the Bill and the mechanisms by which the Bill seeks to meet its policy aims. However, given the tight timetable the Government has … Read more
Government Response
The government defends its legislative timetable and decision not to publish the Bill in draft, stating its process was in line with guidance and aimed to progress reforms quickly, rather than directly addressing the Committee's wish for more time.
Department for Education
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12 Conclusion Not Addressed
2nd Report – Scrutiny of the Child…
Inadequate time and resources prevented detailed scrutiny of Bill's delegated powers.
We have not had the time or resource to comb through the Bill or take evidence on the delegated powers within it, although we note that the published Delegated Powers Memorandum for the Bill is 75 pages long. We stated … Read more
Government Response
The government thanks the Committee for reviewing the published documents and defends the detailed nature and justification of the Bill's delegated powers, without addressing the Committee's lack of time for detailed scrutiny.
Department for Education
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Government Response AI assessment · 13 of 5 classified
Accepted 2
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 3
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 3
Total 5 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
6 May 2025 To committee Letter from Minister for School Standards on Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill 01.05.25 -
Parliament page
23 Apr 2025 From committee Letter to Minister for Schools Standards on Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill dated 10.04.25
Parliament page
18 Mar 2025 To committee Letter from Minister for School Standards on Scrutiny of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, dated 6 March 2025
Parliament page
4 Feb 2025 CWS 05 - Written evidence from Broadleaf Home Ed Co-operative to Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Parliament page
7 Jan 2025 Correspondence with Minister for School Standards on Children’s Wellbeing Bill, dated 17.12.24; 18.12.24 and 27.12.24
Parliament page