Our submission builds on oral evidence we gave to the committee on 21 February 2025. It is informed by our existing formal positions on some of the proposals in the Bill, by ongoing discussions with ministers and officials, by the responses to a survey of all ASCL members carried out in January 2025, and by a number of formal and informal discussions with members across different sectors and roles. 

The timing of the call for evidence means that we have not yet been able to discuss the details of the proposals with ASCL Council, our policy-making body of elected members. We will be doing that at a meeting near the beginning of February, and would welcome the opportunity to share any updated views with the committee afterwards. 

We have focused our submission on part two of the Bill – the schools-focused section – as this is where our expertise lies. Some elements of part one touch on our members’ work, particularly the focus on multi-agency child protection and safeguarding measures, and we welcome the proposals in these areas. 

There is much that we welcome in the Bill, and which aligns with ASCL’s existing policy positions and views. However, even where we agree in principle, we have some significant logistical concerns with some of the proposals, given in the challenging context in which schools are currently operating. We set these out in detail below.  

Full response to consultation