The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, becoming an Act of Parliament. Whilst some provisions are already in force, others will take effect later in 2026 and beyond, as our individual briefings explain.

During its passage through Parliament, several sections of the legislation were amended and prompted wide-ranging debate on issues including children's use of social media, directive academisation, children not in school and the cost of school uniform. Entirely new legislative sections were also introduced - among them a statutory basis for Ofsted's inspection of trusts and a statutory duty to have regard to DfE guidance on mobile phones in schools.

What schools need to know

This significant piece of new legislation lands alongside other major education reform that schools are working to manage, including reform of the SEND system and curriculum and assessment.

Below you'll find links to detailed analysis of the parts of the Act that matter most for schools. Each briefing explains the new law, the practical implications and where further guidance will be needed.

• Academies: freedoms and interventions.
• Admissions.
• Attendance and children not in school.
• Breakfast clubs.
• School uniform.
• Independent educational institutions.
• Teacher pay and conditions.
• New schools.
• Teacher misconduct.

We’re here to support you and we’ll provide further advice as these proposed laws approach the final stages and implementation.