Responding to the announcement of the new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:
“This new legislation will mark a major step change in protecting the rights of all children, which is warmly welcomed by NASUWT.
“When any child is left at risk of abuse and neglect, every child is at risk. For too long, previous governments have failed to protect the most vulnerable children. That situation has to change.
“NASUWT has called for a new deal for children and young people and today’s legislation will be a step forward in delivering that new deal.
“We welcome the commitments set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to give all children the best start in life by requiring all agencies to work together in the interests of children and young people in their areas.
“The introduction of children’s registers and a national unique identifier number for children are also welcome, as are the measures to give teachers a stronger voice in child protection and safeguarding matters.
“NASUWT welcomes the commitments in the Bill to end the presumption of the right of parents to home educate their children. Too many children have been let down and left in unsuitable and unsafe conditions. That has to change. The best place for every child is to be in school.
“After more than a decade of chaos and fragmentation, we welcome the commitments to strengthen the role of local councils in local school place planning and school admissions.
“It is also right that measures are taken to end the programme of forced academisation of schools which has, too often, let children down at great financial cost to the taxpayer.
“We are pleased to see that many of the ambitions set out in NASUWT’s Teachers’ Manifesto are now being taken forward by the Government through this Bill.
“A national framework of pay and conditions across all state-funded schools is essential in ensuring that every child receives the high quality education to which they are entitled, and it is to be welcomed that the Bill will also require teachers to hold qualified teacher status and to have the same core pay and conditions rights irrespective of where they work.
“The measures set out in this Bill have the potential to secure the transformational change that will secure the right of every child and young person to grow up in safety and security with the best opportunities to live happy and rewarding lives.
“As the Bill progresses in Parliament, NASUWT will be seeking assurances that the Government will be working closely with the sector to ensure that the measures set out in the Bill are delivered in practice.”
