Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Third Reading

What happened: The House of Commons passed the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill at its Third Reading (the final Commons vote before a bill passes to the House of Lords) on 18 March 2025. The vote was 382 in favour and 104 against. Third Reading is the last opportunity for MPs to vote on whether a bill should proceed, and passing it here means the legislation moves on to face scrutiny in the Lords.

Why it matters: The bill introduces wide-ranging reforms to children's services and school oversight in England, including changes to how local authorities manage children in care and how schools are regulated and supported. It affects children's social workers, schools, local councils, and families across the country. Practically, it advances the government's agenda on child welfare and education accountability, reshaping the relationship between central government, local authorities, and schools.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 284 Labour MPs and 31 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the bill, as did all 57 Liberal Democrat MPs present and the three Green MPs. All 95 voting Conservatives opposed it, joined by four Reform UK MPs, three Democratic Unionist Party MPs, and one Ulster Unionist. Two independents also voted against. There were no notable cross-party rebellions. The bill sits within a broader Labour legislative push on education, running alongside the government's moves to remove private schools' business rate relief and reform technical education, both of which have faced sustained opposition and Lords resistance in the same parliamentary period.