Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (0-11 years) (HHCP), IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (CWSB176)

Based on research funded by the Leverhulme Trust examining children's agency in the national curriculum and primary education 2021-2024 and other research conducted by HHCP.

Executive Summary:

· The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill lacks explicit recognition of children's right to participate in decisions affecting their education and requires specific amendments to support this.

· The Children’s Agency in the National Curriculum (CHANT) research project demonstrated clear links between children's agency and their wellbeing.

· The CHANT project demonstrated how children's agency can be supported and that this is likely to raise academic standards.

· Evidence shows that current curriculum and assessment structures limit children's ability to influence their educational experience.

General comment

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently lacks explicit recognition of children's fundamental right to participate in decisions affecting their education, as established by Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. While making important provisions for children's wellbeing and education, it fails to acknowledge or incorporate mechanisms for children's agency and voice in educational settings.

1. Curriculum and Teaching (Clauses 40-41). Our research across three contrasting primary schools found that when schools created structured opportunities for children to influence curriculum content:

· Children reported higher engagement with learning when they could contribute to topic selection

· Schools successfully integrated children’s interests while meeting national curriculum requirements

· Children showed increased motivation when they could make independent choices within lessons

Recommendation: The Bill should establish children's right to meaningful participation in their education, including:

· A statutory requirement for schools to ensure children can contribute to decisions about their learning

This statutory framework should be supported by detailed Department for Education guidance covering specific mechanisms such as:

· Approaches for incorporating children's input into curriculum planning

· Structured opportunities for choice within learning frameworks

· Processes for gathering and responding to children's feedback

2. School Operations (Clauses 21-23). The CHANT study found that when schools had structured consultation mechanisms in place, children participated actively in improving their school environment. This was particularly evident in practical areas such as:

· School food choices and meal arrangements (where children offered specific suggestions for improvement)

· Use of school spaces (with children identifying areas needing changes)

· Playground equipment (where children proposed and helped implement specific modifications)

· Extra-curricular activities (where children initiated new clubs based on their interests)

Notably, across our case study schools, children consistently expressed desire to influence not just practical matters but also their learning experiences, particularly in choosing topics to study. This finding suggests the importance of extending children’s voice beyond operational matters to include educational decisions.

Recommendation: The Bill should introduce requirements for consultation with children on decisions affecting their daily school experience. The Bill should require schools to establish effective mechanisms for children’s voice, including but not limited to School Councils, with clear processes for implementing agreed changes.

Based on our research, this should include:

· Well-defined mechanisms for gathering children's views

· Transparent processes for acting on children's input

· Regular feedback to children about how their views have been considered

· Clear roles and responsibilities for student representatives

· Extension beyond practical matters to include learning and teaching issues.

In addition, research from a separate study conducted by Bradbury and Vince (2025), focu s sed on schools' responses to the cost-of-living crisis, provides good evidence for Clause 21 on free breakfast clubs. This research emphasises the importance of food for learning, and the significance of providing free food to children in terms of behaviour, attitudes, and relationships with parents. It also reaffirms the need to provide food in ways that do not stigmatise children, such as universal provision.

On Clause 22, on school uniform, we note from Bradbury and Vince (2025) study that uniform was a common problem for children experiencing poverty, and that schools often provided free uniform to allow children to function in school and feel 'normal'. Reducing the cost of uniform overall through reducing the branded items required would, therefore, improve children's experiences of school by allowing them to fit in. Greater flexibility over uniform requirements reduces the stigma of having cheaper options. On the basis of this research , we would fully support Clause 21 and 22.

3. Teacher Development (Clause 40). The CHANT study demonstrated that supporting children’s agency required:

· Specific professional development for teachers about facilitating children’s agency

· Time and resources for implementing participatory approaches

· Support for balancing children’s agency with curriculum requirements

Recommendation: The Bill should include provisions for:

· Protected time for implementing participatory approaches

· Adequate resources and guidance to support practices that enhance both children’s agency and academic achievement

Conclusion

These recommendations are based on a comprehensive longitudinal study of children's agency in primary schools. The research demonstrated that incorporating children’s agency enhances children’s motivation, engagement, and enjoyment in learning and is therefore essential for supporting their wellbeing and learning. We recommend that the Bill be revised to explicitly recognise children's right to agency in their education and incorporate specific requirements for schools to enable children to exercise agency in relation to all aspects of schooling that affect them.

In addition, our research on the use of food banks in schools and schools’ responses to the cost-of-living crisis suggests the proposed introduction of universal free breakfast clubs and attempts to reduce the cost of uniform would be beneficial to children living in poverty.

References

Bradbury, A., & Vince, S. (2025). Food Banks in Schools and Nurseries: The Education Sector’s Responses to the Cost-of-Living Crisis. In Food Banks in Schools and Nurseries. Policy Press.

Manyukhina, Y., & Wyse, D. (in press). Children's agency and the curriculum: The promise of structured freedom. Routledge.

January 2025