Children’s wellbeing bill confirmed in King's speech

A children’s wellbeing bill will be introduced in the next year to legislate for a number of education policies, King Charles III told parliament in his speech today.

The bill will be introduced to "raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing”, King Charles III said.

He added that measures will be brought forward to remove the exemption from Value Added Tax for private school fees, which will enable the funding of six and a half thousand new teachers.

"Skills England" will be established, which will have a new partnership with employers at its heart, and the apprenticeship levy will be reformed, King Charles III said.

Commenting, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union, the NAHT said: “Leaders and teachers will broadly welcome many of the education proposals trailed in the press over the weekend, and we are pleased to see education is a high priority for this new government.

"Many of the new measures that have been trailed are in line with what NAHT has been calling for over a number of years – for example creating a register of children not in school and ensuring all teachers have or are working towards qualified teacher status.”