Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: motion relating to Lords Amendment 106

What was this vote about?

This was a lords amendment on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 strengthens protections for children in education. It introduces allergy-safety duties for schools, tightens safeguarding and data-sharing rules, updates support for looked-after and adopted children, and expands corporate parenting duties, while overhauling online safety rules for under-18s and setting school-related governance and cost rules. After lengthy negotiations between Parliament’s houses, it received Royal Assent and became law in 2026.

• •- Allergy safety in schools: every school must have an allergy policy, publish it (including on their website), and review it annually; the duties extend to non-maintained special schools and independent schools through amendments to related acts.
• •- Online safety and age controls: Lords pushed hard for age verification and a ban on certain online services for under-16s, while the Commons proposed in‑lieu powers for ISPs to restrict or block access and set timelines; the eventual package combined online-safety safeguards with duties for providers and data-protection protections.
• •- Corporate parenting and safeguarding: strengthens the duties of local authorities toward looked-after and care-experience children; introduces guidance and collaboration requirements, with careful consideration of cross-border (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) involvement.
• •- School admissions and cost rules: new or revised provisions on Published Admission Numbers (PANs) and how they are determined, plus debates over school uniform costs and mobile phone use in schools; some proposals to cap uniform costs were defeated in committee, while others were carried forward in in‑lieu amendments.

The result

387 of 650 eligible MPs voted (60% turnout)

How each party voted

Who rebelled?(5 MPs)

Why it matters

MPs in the Commons voted 248 to 139 on a motion relating to Lords Amendment 106 to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a margin of 109. Five MPs voted against their party whip. The division concerned how Lords amendments would be treated, including changes to safeguarding and mental health provisions and parliamentary oversight of regulations.

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: Royal Assent