On 3rd February 2026, the House of Lords debated the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Votes: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Tag: schools
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Portsmouth speaks to amendments on schools with a religious character
The Bishop of Portsmouth spoke to amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill regarding impacts on schools with religious designations on 28th January 2026, particularly in the case of multi-academy trusts and lines of communication between religious bodies and their schools:
The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth: My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 193A, 193B and 193C and declare my interest as chair of the National Society for Education. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, for her support of Amendments 193A and 193B. I will address these two first and together.
These two amendments are about good communication. They would require the chief inspector to include the relevant religious body along with the academy proprietor and the Secretary of State when a report is circulated at the conclusion of an inspection of a multi-academy trust that contains a school with a religious foundation. For example, in the case of the Church of England, the relevant body would be the Diocesan Board of Education.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Portsmouth speaks to amendments on schools with a religious character”Votes: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
On 28th January 2026, the House of Lords debated the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Votes were held on amendments to the bill, in which Bishops took part:
Bishop of Winchester asks about importance of religious literacy for young people
The Bishop of Winchester asked a question on the role of religious literacy in promoting freedom of religion and belief on 30th October 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Winchester: My Lords, I was pleased to hear the Second Church Estates Commissioner confirm recently in another place that the Government are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Truro review, which I wrote several years ago at the invitation of the then Foreign Secretary. I have to say that that came as a pleasant surprise to me. In view of the significant and egregious growth in international violations of freedom of religion or belief in the intervening years, does the Minister agree with me that we need to ensure a high level of religious literacy among our young people and that professionally delivered RE is critical to that end?
Continue reading “Bishop of Winchester asks about importance of religious literacy for young people”Bishop of Sheffield asks about further education partnerships and ECHR education in schools
The Bishop of Sheffield received the following written answers on 13th October 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Sheffield asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the origins and contents of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights are taught in primary and secondary schools in England.
Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield asks about further education partnerships and ECHR education in schools”Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on bereavement policies in schools
On 9th June 2025, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in support of an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill tabled by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, which would establish a requirement for schools to have bereavement policies to support children affected by loss:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I am grateful for the Bill as an opportunity to address a number of what we call adverse childhood experiences. I suspect that, given the lateness of the hour, we are not going to reach some of my amendments on care leavers that are scheduled for later. This group, particularly Amendment 171, deals with children who have experienced bereavement. Not much has been said about that in this short debate, so I will say a few words.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendment on bereavement policies in schools”Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of AI and smartphone use in schools for children
The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd May 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 5Rights Children and AI Design Code, and what steps they are taking to assess the impact of AI on children.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of AI and smartphone use in schools for children”Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about special educational needs and disabilities and school absenteeism
The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asked a question on the impact of increased numbers of pupils with special educational needs on school absenteeism on 7th May 2025:
The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: My Lords, as a foster carer for Nottingham city, I am aware that children with higher levels of often complex needs hugely benefit from additional support in smaller integrated learning environments in order to stay motivated and engaged. I press the Minister again very particularly: what assessment have the Government therefore made of how the increase in the number of children with significant special educational needs—who now very often remain in large classes, with the disruption that creates for many pupils—is impacting on pupil absenteeism?
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham asks about special educational needs and disabilities and school absenteeism”Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Derby welcomes legislation
The Bishop of Derby spoke at the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 1st May 2025, welcoming the bill and urging that the government listen to the voices and needs of children and young people:
The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I welcome this Bill and the Government’s commitment to improve children’s lives and their outcomes. My faith teaches me that, in this work, we echo Jesus’s commitment to place children at the heart of God’s transforming work—
“of such is the kingdom of God”.
As Nelson Mandela said:
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Derby welcomes legislation”Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester highlights impact on care leavers and faith communities
The Bishop of Manchester spoke at the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 1st May 2025, highlighting the potential impact of the bill on care leavers and faith communities:
The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I begin by expressing my thanks to all noble Lords who have reached out to me following the announcement that I will be taking up the role of Convenor of the Lords Spiritual next month. I look forward to working with all noble Lords. I also look forward to hearing today the maiden speeches from the noble Lords, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Lord Biggar, the latter a fellow clergyman and a theological mind of some high repute.
Debate during the recent passage of my own Private Member’s Bill through this House highlighted the severe disadvantages faced by many care leavers. Research by Barnardo’s showed that 39% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment or training, compared with 13% of young people in general. We are failing almost two in five of those who have care experience. Moreover, care leavers I met through the charity Become highlighted how much depends on the whim of their particular local authority. Young people who move away for work or further education are especially prone to losing support. We need a universal offer for young people leaving care that local authorities are obliged to meet.
Continue reading “Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester highlights impact on care leavers and faith communities”
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.