The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act has come into force, bringing with it a number of changes to safeguarding, school standards, pupil welfare, and the cost of living.

A new Single Unique Identifier for children, currently being piloted, aims to improve information sharing between agencies, while a legal duty will require services to share data on child safety and welfare. Schools will also play a role in new “Children Not in School” registers, with local authorities tracking all pupils, including those educated at home.

Multi-academy trusts will face dedicated inspections for the first time, and all trusts will be required to follow the national curriculum as well as national teacher pay and conditions. A revised admissions framework is also intended to ensure school places are better aligned with local demand.
 

From September, schools will be legally required to limit branded uniform items to three (excluding ties), a move designed to cut costs for parents. At the same time, eligibility for free school meals will expand to an additional 500,000 children, while more than 2,000 free breakfast clubs are set to open.

Further measures directly affecting schools include a requirement to enforce national guidance restricting mobile phone use during the school day, and new provisions for allergy safety, with schools expected to stock emergency allergy pens.