The government鈥檚 new schools bill will dominate education policymaking for the next few years, before changes start to feed into classrooms across the country from 2026 onwards. Schools Week has picked out every new proposed policy and included any details on the proposed implementation date. While we wouldn鈥檛 normally cover social care only policies, we have included them anyway just so it鈥檚 a complete list. The first half are the school measures, and the second half the social care measures. Bye bye academy freedoms 鈥 1. New teachers in academies must have or be working towards qualified teacher status, and have a statutory induction. Induction requirements will only apply to teachers recruited *after* the new law comes into effect. Will start in September 2026 and guidance will be published. 2. Academies will be legally required to follow the national curriculum. This will start after the curriculum review has concluded and its recommendations consulted on (likely to be in 鈥渟everal years鈥). 3. Regional directors will be able to issue compliance orders where academies are not meeting or 鈥渁cting unreasonably鈥 in relation to their legal duties. Examples include over new rules such as admissions or uniform, or other things like breaching rules around parental complaints. They will be used in cases not serious enough to warrant termination warning notices, and will be published. 4. Academy orders for 鈥榠nadequate鈥 maintained schools will become 鈥榙iscretionary鈥. Where academisation 鈥渋sn鈥檛 necessary鈥 and schools are deemed to 鈥渉ave the capacity to improve鈥 under their current leadership, support will be offered through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams. 5. Academies must follow the national teacher pay and conditions framework. Academy trust representatives will be made statutory consultees of the school teachers鈥 review body (STRB), which will also be asked to consider 鈥渁dditional flexibilities鈥 to the framework before academies comply. Government said this will not apply to staff where their pay is 鈥渄etermined through other processes鈥, such as those in trust central teams like CEOs. 鈥 hello again local authorities 6. New duty for schools and councils to co-operate on admissions. Includes over place planning and fair access protocols. Education secretary 鈥渨ill be able to intervene鈥 where 鈥渃o-operating breaks down鈥. 7. Councils will be able to direct academies to admit a child to provide a 鈥渟afety net鈥 to ensure unplaced and vulnerable children get a school place quickly. This power already covers maintained schools. Academies would also be able to appeal to the school adjudicator. 8. The schools adjudicator will be able to set the published admission number (PAN) of a school, including academies, where an objection is upheld. This will give councils 鈥済reater influence鈥 over PANs to assist with their place planning duties. 9. The presumption that new schools must be academies will be ended. Councils looking to open new schools will be able to invite applications from voluntary and foundation schools, as well as put forward their own plans for new community schools. Where councils want to open their own school, regional directors (government civil servants) will decide on the proposal. The home education crackdown 10. All councils must have 鈥榗hildren not in school鈥 registers, with a duty to support parents on their registers. Children in scope are those not registered at a school or receiving some of their education outside of school (ie flexi-schooling and unregistered alternative provision). Schools will have to check with councils if children being withdrawn are in these categories. Out-of-school education providers must also provide details, and can be fined if not. 11. Some parents will need council consent to home education their child. It will apply to those with children subject to protection orders, on a protection plan or at a special school under arrangements made by the local authority. LAs can also compel home educated children on protection orders to attend school. 12. School attendance orders will be standardised nationally, with councils compelled to check whether the home learning environment for a child is suitable when making such orders. Parents would also face prosecution if they don鈥檛 comply. The shady private school crackdown 13. The definition of a private school will be expanded so any operating on a full-time basis must now get government approval and be subject to regular inspections against school standards. Full-time education is where a child 鈥渃ould be expected to receive all or a majority of their education at the setting鈥. 14. 鈥Fit and proper鈥 person test for people wanting to open new private schools. 15. Education secretary will get the power to suspend a private school鈥檚 registration 鈥 temporarily close it 鈥 where students are at risk of harm, rather than apply to the courts. 16. Private schools appealing government-enforced closures due to serious and long-running failures would have to have the burden of proof to overturn the decision, rather than it sitting with government. 17. What constitutes a 鈥渕aterial change鈥 for private schools and needs government approval would be updated to stop 鈥渦nauthorised鈥 changes and make the system more enforceable. Ofsted: illegal schools and info sharing 18. New powers for Ofsted to enter suspected illegal schools and 鈥渟earch鈥 rather than just inspect. 19. A requirement on Ofsted to report once a year on its other independent inspectorate work will be replaced with more 鈥渇lexible鈥 obligation to do so whenever the education secretary requests. 20. Clarification that Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) can freely share information 鈥 such as on historic safeguarding risks 鈥 rather than the DfE having to as a conduit. Other schools stuff 21. State-funded schools to ensure all children on roll in reception to year 6 have access to a free, at least 30-minute-long breakfast club before school. School food standards will apply, and schools can be exempt in 鈥渆xceptional circumstances鈥. Trial to start in April 2025, date for full rollout to be announced next year. 22. A limit of three branded items of school uniform required by primary schools, and four items at secondary if a tie is branded. This includes PE kit and applies to after-school activities. Schools can still offer 鈥渙ptional鈥 branded uniform items. Introduced in September 2026. 23. Broadening the teacher misconduct regime to include those employed in further education, independent training providers, online schools and 鈥渋ndependent educational institutions鈥 that aren鈥檛 schools. DfE will also be able to make referrals to the Teacher Regulation Agency if 鈥渞elevant information鈥 is brought to their attention. 24. Legislation allowing maintained schools to temporarily direct pupils to another education setting to improve behaviour (known as off-site directions) will be extended to include academies. Schools-related children鈥檚 social care policies 25. Safeguarding partners such as councils, police and health to secure participation of education settings as relevant agencies in multi-safeguarding arrangements. 26. Duty for safeguarding partners to set up multi-agency child protection teams. Will include a person 鈥渨ith education experience鈥. To start in 2027. 27. A single unique identifier to be introduced for each child across multiple data sets, with a new duty to share information for welfare and safeguarding purposes. DfE to run regional pilot to test feasibility of using NHS number as the consistent identifier. 28. The strategic role of virtual school heads to promote educational achievement of children with a social worker and in kinship care to be made statutory. Other children鈥檚 social care measures 29. Councils required to assess whether they should provide 鈥榮taying close鈥 support to care leavers, and publish arrangements they have in place for such children. 30. The education secretary would be able to direct councils to 鈥渞egionalise鈥 and 鈥渉arness collective buying power鈥 in relation to social care services. Pathfinders in South East and Greater Manchester testing approach in 2025. 31. A statutory framework for deprivation of liberty in accommodation. 32. Regulations to reduce councils鈥 spend on social care agency workers. Includes a commitment to consider how to 鈥渂uild a sustainable SEND workforce鈥. 33. New law to ensure those involved in 鈥渓ow-level abuse鈥 of 16 and 17-year-olds in children鈥檚 homes can be prosecuted. 34. Legal duty for councils to publish a kinship local offer. 35. Mandate councils to offer 鈥榝amily group decision-making鈥 meeting when considering care order. Stopping the profiteers 36. Powers for Ofsted to take enforcement action at provider level where there are quality issues across multiple social care settings, and fine people for not registering care homes or foster agencies. 37. A financial oversight scheme enabling government to better scrutinise the financial health of large children鈥檚 social care providers, those deemed 鈥渄ifficult to replace鈥. This would include large providers with dual-registered special schools 38. A 鈥渓ast resort鈥 profit cap to 鈥渃urb profiteering鈥 in non-local authority children鈥檚 home and fostering agency providers. Will later also apply to supported accommodation providers. And last but not least, letting kids work longer hours! 39. Allowing children (those aged under 16) to work more than two hours on Sundays to give more flexibility for employers, but all children will be required to have a work permit. Powers to change these rules will pass to the education secretary, rather than councils. P.S. if you’ve made it this far – well done! You must really love the schools bill As a treat, here’s links to the rest of our comprehensive coverage: Schools Bill: we鈥檝e got you covered The headlines: Bill to enact sweeping academies reform The round-up: The 15 key schools bill policies The fall-out: Academy freedoms axed could harm school improvement 红桃影视: Labour鈥檚 plans show it gets trusts鈥 vital role