HomeNewsChildren’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments

  • 09/03/2026
  • Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
  • Category: News
The Bill returned to the House of Commons after passing its third reading in the Lords as amended on 9 March 2026. It is now in its final stages.
The Bill aims to remove barriers to opportunity in schools and improve the education system to make it safer for every child. It also seeks to strengthen regulation, improving quality of care to ensure it meets children’s needs and keeping children rooted in their families and local communities where possible.
The Commons agreed to most of the Lords amendments. There were 12 amendments which were rejected and 8 were put to the vote and I voted to support the motions to disagree with the Lords amendments and they were rejected as set out below: 
1 Lords Amendment 16, was rejected  Ayes 309, Noes 181.
The Government is currently conducting a public consultation on adoption and special guardianship support services.
2 Lords Amendment 17 was rejected: Ayes 306, Noes 182
The Amendment will not alter a local authority’s core duties in relation to contact between a looked after child and their siblings, and so will not achieve the aim of promoting contact between looked after children and their siblings which would have required a review into the level of funding available from the adoption and special guardianship support fund and recommendations to increase these funds. 
3 Lords Amendment 37 was rejected: Ayes 321, Noes 106 
This amendment was about the prohibitions of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to children.

4 Lords Amendment 38 was rejected: Ayes 307, Noes 173                                                                                   The amendment related to a ban on social media for under-16s,

The Government proposed in response to both Lords Amendments 37 and 38 to grant the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology the power to amend the age of consent for consenting to data processing for websites and apps, depending on its purpose, to anywhere between 13 and 16. The current age of consent is 13.

5 Lords Amendment 41 was rejected: Ayes 316, Noes 171
Imposing a monetary cap on branded items of school uniform may have undesirable effects.
6 Lords Amendment 44  was rejected: Ayes 315, Noes 109
The Amendment would involve a charge on public funds, and the Commons do not offer any further Reason, trusting that this Reason may be deemed sufficient.
7 Lords Amendment 102 was rejected: Ayes 315, Noes 163
The Amendment imposes inappropriate restrictions on the scope of the adjudicator’s powers to determine school admission numbers under clause 56 and the clause already provides for regulations to make provision about the matters the adjudicator must consider when making a determination about a school’s admission number.
8 Lords Amendment 106 was rejected: Ayes 304, Noes 177
The Amendment was not necessary in light of the existing guidance about mobile phones in schools.