A cap on branded school uniform items will be introduced, with primary schools allowed up to three branded items and secondary schools an additional tie option. These changes, effective from September 2026, aim to alleviate financial pressures on families…reports Asian Lite News
Parliament is set to debate the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, marking a significant step toward safeguarding thousands of vulnerable children. The bill proposes major reforms to ensure children are accounted for in education and protected from exploitation, abuse, and harm.
Key measures include requiring local councils to maintain registers of children not enrolled in schools, granting councils stronger powers to verify educational arrangements, and introducing a unique identifying number for every child. These changes aim to address the growing number of children missing from education, often linked to increased vulnerability to exploitation and harm, as highlighted in the 2024 Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel Annual Report.
Government data reveals that approximately 111,000 children are now home-educated—double the estimated pre-pandemic figures—and 150,000 children were missing from education at some point last year. The proposed reforms aim to close these gaps by mandating multi-agency safeguarding teams to monitor children’s safety and education.
Support for Families and Schools
In addition to safeguarding measures, the bill proposes capping the number of branded items required for school uniforms, potentially saving families over £50 per child annually. Parents will also gain a legal entitlement to free breakfast clubs for primary school children, expected to save families up to £450 annually.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emphasized the importance of these reforms, stating, “Keeping children safe will always be my first duty as education secretary, but we can only truly do that if we know where our children are. This government will make no apologies for doing whatever is necessary to keep children out of harm’s way.”
Provisions in the Bill
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces measures to:
- Require councils to maintain registers of children not in schools.
- Assign a unique identifier to every child to prevent them from slipping through the cracks.
- Remove automatic rights for home education if a child is under child protection investigation.
- Allow local authorities to mandate school attendance if a child’s home environment is deemed unsafe.
- Establish mandatory safeguarding panels across councils.
- Reducing the Financial Burden on Families
A cap on branded school uniform items will be introduced, with primary schools allowed up to three branded items and secondary schools an additional tie option. These changes, effective from September 2026, aim to alleviate financial pressures on families.
Additionally, primary school children will gain access to free breakfast clubs starting in April 2025, with early adopter schools piloting the initiative.
Support from Advocacy Groups
Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society, lauded the reforms, “The high cost of school uniforms has put an unnecessary financial strain on families for far too long. Every child deserves to feel equal and included, regardless of their family’s income.”
Sir David Holmes CBE, CEO of Family Action, added, “We particularly welcome the proposals for unique identifier numbers, registers for children not in school, and universal free breakfast clubs.”
The bill’s second reading underscores the government’s commitment to prioritizing child welfare and ensuring every child receives the education and protection they deserve.
