Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill draws criticism in parliamentary debate
This week, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill became the subject of much controversy before passing its second reading in Parliament. Predominantly, this was due to calls for a national inquiry on grooming gangs, an amendment which the Conservative Party put forward to the Bill. This amendment was defeated. However, there were other notable criticisms raised during the Parliamentary debate.
Shadow Education Secretary, Laura Trott, warned that the Bill represented the ‘policy equivalent of a wrecking ball,’ particularly due to its impact on academies. As part of the Bill, academies would have to follow the statutory teacher pay and conditions framework, which means more than 20,000 academy teachers exceeding the national pay scales could potentially face pay cuts. The Bill also means that all academies would have to follow the national curriculum. Former Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said that limiting academy freedoms would create a ‘homogenous schools system in which brilliance and excellence […] are stamped out,’ pointing to recent examples of cuts to the Latin excellence programme and cadets forces in schools.
The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, says she is pleased to see the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill taken through Parliament, saying it is an important opportunity to ensure vulnerable children ‘get the help and protection they need.’ However, she believes there are a number of areas within the Bill that could be improved. For example, she says the Bill should make schools the fourth statutory safeguarding partner alongside the police, local authorities and health settings. De Souza also calls for a national framework for data sharing to help identify and support children missing education. The Education Secretary says this Bill is a crucial step forward in the government’s mission to ‘protect all children, while also supporting parents.’
★ Our Pupil Attendance & Safeguarding team work collaboratively with schools to ensure the wellbeing and welfare of the child is protected at all times. Contact us to learn how we can work together to strengthen your safeguarding culture in school.
Rise in young people needing emergency mental health support
Over the course of one year, the number of children referred to emergency mental healthcare in England has increased by 10%, rising from 31,749 between April and October 2023 to 34,793 in the same period in 2024.
This number includes 4,424 “very urgent referrals” for under-18s to mental health crisis care teams, an increase of 13% from the previous year. The number of “urgent referrals” also increased by 13%, reaching 24,886. Over the same time period, analysis shows that “emergency referrals” fell by 5% to 5,483. Researchers suggest that many of these children have been stuck on waiting lists for months – and in some cases, years – to access the mental health support they need.
Laura Bunt, chief executive at Young Minds, says that there are many factors contributing to the mental health crisis amongst young people, including ‘poverty, inequality, intense academic pressure and the online world.’ To address this challenge, the government plans to recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers, ensure young people have access to specialist mental health professionals in school, and a Young Futures hub in every community.
★ Our Creative Psychotherapists can deliver therapeutic interventions for pupils with complex mental health needs. Passionate and motivated, you can expect a fast response from our team – in most cases, schools receive a visit within the first week of contact. Get in touch for more information.
IFS report reveals growing crisis in school funding
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published its seventh annual report on education spending in England. In the Autumn Budget, the government allocated an extra £2.3 billion to the schools budget, with about £1 billion targeted for high needs. This represents a 1.6% real-terms growth in school spending per pupil. Despite this, the IFS warns that leaders will have to face making more cuts as school costs are set to outstrip the government’s funding boost.
Total school spending in England has grown by about £8 billion since 2019-20, leading to 11% real-terms growth in spending per pupil. This reverses previous cuts and brings spending back to 2010 levels. However, the report shows that over half of this increase is due to the rapid growth in the number of pupils identified with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). After accounting for planned spending on high needs, mainstream school funding per pupil only grew by 5% in real terms since 2019.
With falling pupil numbers, the IFS calculates that the government could deliver an annual saving of £1.2 billion in 2027 by freezing spending per pupil in real terms. However, the government also projects a £2.3 billion increase in spending on SEND, which will likely wipe out any opportunities for savings in the schools budget.
Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, warns this will result in ‘further reductions to pastoral support, curriculum options and classroom resources […] it is death by a thousand cuts.’ She urges the government to recognise the critical importance of investment in education.
We would like to take this moment to wish you all a happy new year!
As ever, One Education remains committed to our mission of supporting schools to support children. We’re incredibly excited to continue working with you all in 2025.
Get in touch to start your journey with us today.
Please complete the form below and we will get in contact as soon as we can to help you with your query.
