Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Govt Motion to insist on Amdt 38J and disagree with Amdts 38V to 38X

What was this vote about?

This was a bill vote 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

421 of 650 eligible MPs voted (65% turnout)

How each party voted

Who rebelled?(4 MPs)

Why it matters

The Commons backed a motion to insist on Amendment 38J and disagree with Lords Amendments 38V-38X in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The division was 260 in favour to 161 against, with four MPs rebelling against their party whip. The outcome shapes safeguarding, carer data, and cross-border regulation as the bill continues its passage, affecting mental health and school support provisions.

AI-generated context — may contain errors.

Turnout by party

What happens next?

This bill has since become an Act of Parliament — it is now law.

Current stage: Royal Assent