Community welcomes landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Educators’ union Community has welcomed the government’s new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is set to be presented to Parliament today (Tuesday 17th December) by the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP.

The wide-ranging legislation will include provisions to ensure that every schoolteacher will be entitled to the same core pay and conditions offer and that all new teachers must hold or be working towards Qualified Teacher Status before they enter the classroom. The bill will also give councils greater powers over school admissions to ensure that decisions reflect local needs – including where vulnerable children are placed – and will introduce new registers to identify children who are not in school.

Helen Osgood, Community’s Operations Director and National Officer for Education and Early Years, said:

“Community welcomes the measures that the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill provides. It will ensure that all teachers will hold or be working towards Qualified Teacher Status before they enter the classroom, meaning that children will be receiving the best possible education provided by trained professionals.  This legislation will be welcomed by teaching assistants, as it affords them better protection, and ensures clarity between roles.

“The government is also doubling the investment for Family Help services to £500m next year, allowing local authorities to support vulnerable families and protect children. This will ensure that when schools ask for help, the wider support net for children is there and schools can get on with doing what they do best, and that is providing a solid foundation for education, growth and development for children.

“For too long, schools have been left to plug the gaps left by a failing system. This bill will go some way to ensuring a better future for children and it is warmly welcomed.”

Martin Hodge, Community’s Head of Education Policy, said:

“This landmark bill will put children’s wellbeing at the heart of education policy whilst creating a fairer and more equitable system for all school staff. After fourteen years of mismanagement of the Department for Education under successive Conservative ministers, we are seeing the difference a Labour government can make, taking meaningful steps to rebuild public services and break down barriers to opportunity.

“Community looks forward to working with the Education Secretary on the delivery of the policies outlined in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill – measures which will make a real difference to our members in schools and the children they support.”

You can read more about the new bill here.