20/05/2026
Interesting reflections.......
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FeCPyDEf4/
Are parents of SEND children not already under enough pressure???
NEW LAW: The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026
The new Childrenβs Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has officially become law, bringing major changes to education, safeguarding, home education, and school accountability across England and Wales.
Supporters say the aim is to better protect vulnerable children and close gaps where children can βdisappearβ from services.
Key changes include:
β¦οΈcompulsory registers for children not in school
β¦οΈοΈmore oversight of home education
β¦οΈBreakfast clubs in primary schools
β¦οΈlimits on branded uniforms
β¦οΈtighter regulation of academies and attendance.
But many parents β especially SEND, EBSA/EBSNA, flexi-schooling and home educating families β are deeply concerned about the unintended consequences.
For families with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA/EBSNA), this law risks treating distress as an attendance problem rather than recognising that many children are out of school because schools cannot meet their needs.
Parents are warning that children who are autistic, ADHD, have anxiety, trauma and sensory difficulties are still being failed by the system, yet families may now face increased scrutiny when trying to protect their childβs mental health.
Home educating families are also worried about excessive monitoring and loss of parental freedom.
The Act introduces registers of children not in school and gives local authorities wider powers to request information about educational provision.
Critics argue this creates a heavy bureaucratic burden and risks treating all home educators as safeguarding concerns rather than recognising that many children thrive outside mainstream settings.
There are also serious concerns around flexi-schooling. Many parents feel the law misunderstands flexi-schooling entirely. Flexi-schooled children are already registered with schools and monitored by headteachers, yet some proposals still place additional reporting expectations on families and local authorities. Campaigners say this could discourage schools from offering flexible arrangements that currently help many neurodivergent and EBSA children stay connected to education safely.
Another major concern is that the Act increases powers and responsibilities for local authorities without guaranteeing enough funding, SEND provision, specialist placements, or mental health support.
Parents are asking the same question: how can families be pressured back into systems that are already unable to support their children properly?
Safeguarding matters. Every child deserves to be safe. But many families fear this law focuses more on surveillance and attendance than fixing the root causes behind the growing EBSA, SEND and mental health crisis in schools.
I want to make it very clear, children cannot thrive where they do not feel safe, understood, or able to learn in an environment and system that appropriately meets their assessed needs.
I am concerned that by giving the LEA more statutory powers and responsiabilities relating to school attendance, but without providing the clinical understanding and real focus on WHY school refusal is happening in the first place, is placing a heavy emphasis on data about the number of bums on seats inside the school gates, but in my opinion, this is not the data we should be collecting, we should be looking at the WHY? So my big question is "to what end?"
For many children I support, the lack of appropriate understanding and timely support, and the increased environmental demands of actually being in school, are the very reason the child struggled to attend in the first place. Rising the pressures to come into that environment has actually caused real deep trauma not only for the child, but also the parents. This happens far more than people realise. I have heard some heart wrenching recounted experiences.
I am very concerned about the focus and emphasis of this new law and also the real impact.
What are your thoughts on this law?
