1. As expected, the Bill includes measures to deliver the Government’s plan for free breakfast clubs in every primary school.

It stipulates schools will be expected to secure a breakfast club at least 30 minutes in duration, includes food, and is free and open to all pupils from Reception to Year 6. Early adopter schools (750 schools from April 2025) will test and learn how to deliver new breakfast clubs, including how schools can build on existing provision. The Bill gives schools flexibility about whether to deliver on site or elsewhere, and applies existing regulations around school food standards. The Youth Sport Trust supports the ambition to give every child a nutritional breakfast to provide a positive start to the day. We believe this policy is an opportunity to increase access to physical activity, unlocking benefits for children including regulating emotions, improving concentration, building friendships and enhancing learning. Incorporating physical activity into breakfast clubs can support more children to achieve 60 active minutes a day, as recommended by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer. Read more about why making breakfast clubs active is so important, and case studies from schools demonstrating good practice here.

2. The Bill also introduces limits on the number of branded uniforms schools can require, responding to public concern about uniform costs.

It would mean schools cannot require a primary pupil to have more than three different branded items of uniform for use during a school year. This increases to four items at secondary schools, as long as one of the branded items required is a tie. The Bill defines an item as ‘for use during a school year’ if required for general use at school, travelling to or from school or for participation in any lesson, club or activity facilitated by the school, meaning it covers items required for PE and sport. As our PE and School Sport Report 2024 explores, PE kit can influence attitudes and engagement with physical activity at school. In particular, we know PE kit plays a role in influencing the high dropout rates of teenage girls in school sport, with just 23% of girls aged 14-15 saying they feel confident in their PE kit, in contrast to 65% of girls aged 7 to 8. As the Bill progresses through the Parliament, as well as debating whether the proposed limit works for schools and parents and carers, there is an opportunity to highlight the importance of engaging youth voice in decisions about PE kit (and school uniform), so children and young people are confident and comfortable, empowered and encouraged to be physically active at school.

3. The Bill introduces a requirement for all academies to teach the national curriculum.

This will be implemented after the ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review concludes (expected Autumn 2025) and once the Government has responded to its recommendations. As a result, the Review is of even greater significance and through our engagement so far, we have highlighted the opportunity to use it to fully unlock the potential of physical activity to support wellbeing, belonging in school and engagement in learning, and broader personal development. We look forward to seeing the Review’s interim report in the New Year and continuing to push for physical activity including PE and school sport to be at the core of a broad and balanced curriculum, reflected in the new Ofsted score cards, so more children can be physically active and access the many associated benefits during and around the school day.

4. The Bill, which has expanded in scope since being proposed in the King’s Speech and now explicitly references schools in the title, brings forward proposals for the education sector including for all new teachers to hold or be working towards qualified teacher status before entering the classroom.

All teachers will have the same core pay and conditions offer, and failing schools which are run by local authorities will no longer be automatically forced to become academies. In addition, councils will be allowed to open schools again, with their increased powers including to require school attendance if they find a child’s environment is unsuitable or unsafe.

5. Finally, the measures above fall within the scope of Part 2 of the Bill.

Part 1 focuses on changes to the children’s social care system and brings forward measures including compulsory council registers of children not in school, a unique identifier number for children across services (similar to the way National Insurance number works for adults), and an increased role for education and childcare agencies within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. The Bill also includes increases regulation of children’s homes and fostering agencies.

Further information about the timeline for the Bill’s passage through Parliament will be produced in the New Year. You can read the proposed Bill in full here, as well as the accompanying explanatory notes. In addition to sharing our ideas and insights as the Bill progresses, we hope it provides an opportunity to reflect on how else to support children and young people’s wellbeing, including how it can be measured to inform policy development and implementation, an idea included within our collaborative manifesto published in January.

We will share further information in response to the Bill ahead of it returning in Parliament in the New Year.

In the meantime, if you have any questions please contact Steve Clapperton, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, at [email protected].