Withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
This petition gathered 166,495 signatures between 25 April 2025 and 25 October 2025, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 16 September 2025. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 1 December 2025.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
We call on the Government to withdraw the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We believe it downgrades education for all children, and undermines educators and parents. If it is not withdrawn, we believe it may cause more harm to children and their educational opportunities than it helps
We believe the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is poorly drafted and does not stem from robust evidence. We feel the accompanying impact assessments are inadequate and may damage all children's educational opportunities. We believe the Bill is silent on children’s voice and children's right to education. We also feel part 2 undermines parental responsibility for education and school leaders from ensuring their educational settings can optimise children's education and wellbeing.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 16 September 2025; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill puts in place a package of support to drive high and rising standards throughout our education and care systems so that every child can achieve and thrive.
The opening 334 words of the 529-word response:
Every child needs a safe, secure start in life and a high-quality education which provides the opportunity to succeed, regardless of background. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will put in place a package of support to drive high and rising standards throughout our education and care systems so that every child can achieve and thrive. It will protect children at risk of abuse, stopping vulnerable children falling through cracks in services, and deliver a core guarantee of high standards with space for innovation in every child’s education.
The Bill has been developed in consultation with education and social care stakeholders to ensure that the measures included are both effective and practical. Its provisions are intended to complement and strengthen existing frameworks to support parents, school leaders and those working in the care system. The measures relating to home education, for example, have been introduced following years of extensive engagement and consultation. The government’s position remains that parents should have the right to home educate their children if they choose to do so, providing that the education being received is suitable and safe.
The government recognises the importance of the child’s voice in educational and wellbeing decisions. The Bill includes measures to ensure children’s perspectives are considered in relevant decisions affecting their education and wellbeing. The department has also conducted and published a Child Rights Impact Assessment, identifying where children are directly affected by policy and where certain groups of children and young people are more likely to be affected than others. For instance, under the School Attendance Order, local authorities will have a new power to request to visit the child in their home. This will provide an opportunity for the child to talk about their education. Local authorities should take the child’s opinion into account in their overall educational suitability decision where appropriate. In cases where parents are required to request permission from the local authority to home educate, the child’s wishes and feelings should be sought and considered, if reasonably practicable.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Havant, with 7.0 signatures per 1,000 electors (503 in all).
165,682 of the signatures were from the UK and 813 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Havant | 503 | 72,323 | 7.0 |
| East Grinstead and Uckfield | 506 | 75,385 | 6.7 |
| Sussex Weald | 432 | 72,885 | 5.9 |
| Witham | 469 | 78,991 | 5.9 |
| Bournemouth East | 420 | 72,354 | 5.8 |
| Central Devon | 439 | 75,385 | 5.8 |
| North Cornwall | 444 | 76,741 | 5.8 |
| Bournemouth West | 399 | 70,259 | 5.7 |
| Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven | 391 | 68,784 | 5.7 |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 397 | 70,056 | 5.7 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 29,167 |
| East of England | 19,945 |
| North West | 19,707 |
| South West | 18,579 |
| London | 14,910 |
| West Midlands | 14,288 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 13,308 |
| East Midlands | 12,344 |
| Wales | 6,818 |
| North East | 6,451 |
| Scotland | 6,307 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,211 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 1 December 2025. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/722377.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
b936fb9d0c84e2be… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.