The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (the Act) received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act represents one of the most significant packages of education reform in recent years: it introduces wide-ranging changes affecting academies, maintained schools, local authorities and safeguarding partners, including reforms to teacher regulation, academy oversight, admissions, curriculum requirements, attendance, home education and children's social care. 

While some provisions have already come into force, others will be implemented in stages between June 2026 and September 2027, with further detail to follow through secondary legislation, revised statutory guidance and Department for Education (DfE) implementation plans. For academy trusts and school leaders, the focus has now shifted from understanding proposed reforms to preparing for operational, governance and compliance changes across the sector.

What has changed since the Bill was introduced?

When the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was first introduced in late 2024, many of its most significant proposals generated substantial debate across the education sector, particularly those relating to academy freedoms, teacher regulation, admissions and home education.

Since then, the legislation has completed its passage through Parliament and received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, becoming the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.

A number of provisions were amended during the Bill's passage, while the Government has also provided greater clarity regarding implementation timetables for several key reforms.

Some key points to note:

Effectively immediately:

• schools are now subject to a co-operation duty with the aim that school decision-making supports the local authority duty to provide primary, secondary and alternative provision places. Note, however, that local authorities will not have the power to direct academies to admit certain pupils until a new admissions code has been consulted on and comes into effect.

Effective 29 June 2026:

• new Secretary of State direction powers over academy trusts 
• the end of automatic academy orders for maintained schools causing concern
• new statutory mobile phone guidance requirements
• the extension of school food standards to academies.

Effective 1 September 2026: 

• the requirement for schools to limit branded uniform items
• the expansion of free school meal eligibility
• new allergy safety duties
• local authority powers relating to new maintained school proposals.

2027 (at the earliest): 

• Ofsted's new duty to inspect multi-academy trusts (and the development of a set of Trust 'standards'). 

Expected 1 September 2027: 

• new academy teacher qualification requirements
• the academy teacher pay floor. 

Once the new school admissions code has been consulted on and comes into effect:

• (among other changes) the schools adjudicator will be able to set the published admission number (PAN) of academies where an objection is upheld.

Subject to further implementation plans, secondary legislation and statutory guidance:

• academy curriculum reforms 
• several home education measures.

Importantly, while the Act is now law, many of its most significant provisions are not yet in force. Schools, academy trusts and governing bodies should therefore view the legislation as the beginning of a longer programme of regulatory reform rather than the final stage of the process.

The key challenge for education providers over the next 12 to 18 months will be preparing for implementation while monitoring the detailed guidance and commencement regulations that will determine how many of these reforms operate in practice.