ASCL responds to Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Responding to the publication today (Tuesday 17 December) of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“On children's wellbeing, we fully support the measures in the Bill to introduce new registers of children who aren't in school, powers to require school attendance if the home environment is assessed as unsafe, an identifier number to improve information sharing across services, and plans to provide more support for struggling families. All of this makes good sense, and frankly, cannot come soon enough.

“On the plans specific to the school system, work will be needed to get these measures right, and the government must bring all parts of the sector – academies, other types of schools, and local authorities – with them on these changes in a positive way.

“The education sector has been through very significant structural changes over the past decade, and leaders and their staff have worked incredibly hard to make those structures work well in the best interests of children and young people.

“Further changes must be done with care and must not seem ideological.”