Withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill immediately

Government to withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill immediately, because it downgrades education for all children, undermines educators and parents. We think it will cause harm to children, with their details being digitally stored for anyone to use without permission.

We think the Bill is poorly drafted and is not supported by robust evidence. The impact assessments are inadequate. It will damage all children's educational opportunities. The Bill is silent on children’s voice and children's right to education. It undermines parents and school leaders. We think it forces a digital ID on children which is unethical and morally wrong. We do not want our children's personal and private details stored for anyone to use. This Bill is another form of control.

This Bill is driven by the belief that every child deserves a safe, secure start in life and the opportunity to succeed. The Bill will reform both children’s social care and education to break down the barriers that hold children back, ensuring that at every stage of life, young people are supported to achieve and thrive.

Keeping children safe is a priority for this government. Practitioners supporting children and families must find, receive, and share relevant information to assess risks effectively. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces provision in law, paving the way for a consistent identifier to be specified and the organisations required to use it via regulations. The Department has initiated a series of pilots so we can establish how a consistent identifier can be implemented effectively and securely.

Upholding children’s rights, particularly in relation to respect for private and family life, are critical and that’s why all these measures operate in compliance with data protection legislation. The Department takes its data protection obligations seriously and is committed to ensuring high standards of information security, privacy and transparency. We have formally consulted the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on all Bill measures that will involve the use of personal data to ensure full alignment with data protection legislation and established best practice for safeguarding children’s information. We continue to engage with the ICO on the Information Sharing Duty and the Single Unique Identifier, as well as with multi‑agency safeguarding organisations, sector representatives and practitioners, to support the ongoing development of these measures. Separately, we are engaging with the ICO on the data protection impact assessment related to Children Not in School measures. This engagement helps ensure that all proposals are underpinned by appropriate lawful bases, clear limitations on access, and strict requirements for necessity and proportionality.