Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 44

What was this vote about?

This was a lords amendment on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The bill aims to improve children’s wellbeing by strengthening safeguarding, school oversight and welfare support, including cross‑agency information sharing and new duties for authorities and schools. It also introduces health and online-safety measures for schools and changes to how education is governed, funded and monitored. The Lords proposed a wide set of amendments (on online safety, allergy policies, adoption support and more); the Commons has largely resisted or replaced many of them with amendments in lieu, and is currently negotiating during the Consideration of Lords message stage, with further changes likely before final passage.

• •Safeguarding and cross‑agency coordination: stronger information‑sharing across agencies, expanded duties around looked‑after and kinship care, and oversight of schools and academy providers to improve safeguarding.
• •Online safety and data protection: Lords‑proposed measures to tighten online controls (age limits for social media, potential age verification, and VPN restrictions) plus new delegated powers to regulate internet services; debated in relation to speed, scope, and cost of implementation.
• •Health and allergy safety in schools: requirement for allergy‑safety policies, annual reviews, staff training, incident reporting, and extended duties to non‑maintained special schools and independent schools; some provisions were narrowed or offset by amendments in lieu.
• •Adoption support and corporate parenting: strengthened adoption support reviews and a broader corporate‑parenting duty across England and Wales (with cross‑border considerations), along with guidance and collaborative duties for local authorities.

The result

424 of 650 eligible MPs voted (65% turnout)

How each party voted

Who rebelled?(2 MPs)

Why it matters

On 9 March 2026, MPs voted 315 to 109 to disagree with Lords Amendment 44 to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a margin of 206. Two MPs voted against their party whip in this division. The Lords had proposed changes to broaden protections and oversight, but the Commons largely rejected those amendments and pressed ahead with its own approach, keeping the focus on safeguarding and mental health provisions in the bill.

AI-generated context — may contain errors.

Turnout by party

What happens next?

The Lords amendment result is sent back to the other House for consideration.

Current stage: Consideration of Lords message