Morning, Monday, 30th June 2025
Online
This conference will consider next steps for England’s school system, with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill currently progressing through Parliament, and in light of the Government’s consultation on school accountability reform. Areas for discussion include governance arrangements, local authority oversight, the evolving role of academies and faith schools, and how schools across England might adapt to proposed reforms.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss practical implications of recent developments, including the introduction of Regional Improvement and Standards Enhancement teams, as well as the shift towards discretionary rather than automatic academisation, and the strengthening of local authority powers over school admissions and school improvement.
Delegates will consider how changes may impact the capacity of local authorities and multi academy trusts in delivery of improvements and accountability, including options for achieving consistency in intervention, inspection, and support for underperforming schools. Further discussion is expected on approaches to balancing school autonomy with system-wide oversight, including implications of extending the national curriculum requirements to academies and the prospects for a formal inspection framework for multi academy trusts.
Further sessions will explore longer-term priorities for the sector, including the future for selective and faith schools, particularly in light of proposals affecting admissions policies and home education regulation. Delegates will assess the potential impact of reforms on initiatives aimed at enhancing cohesion, inclusivity, and educational standards across different types of schools. The design and implementation of regional improvement strategies will also be considered, alongside mechanisms for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare within diverse school settings, and the broader role of collaboration, community engagement, and leadership development in improving outcomes.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- policy:
- assessing the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, latest developments and considerations for implementation - responses to the DfE’s School Accountability Reform consultation
- coordination of statutory duties, school improvement, and accountability frameworks
- local authority powers and responsibilities:
- roles in admissions, oversight, and intervention - discussing the capacity to fulfil expanded functions - local authority and school collaboration
- academy system governance:
- implications of discretionary academisation powers - school autonomy and local accountability - extension of national curriculum requirements to academies - trust funding and capacity
- MAT accountability and inspection:
- options for formal inspection frameworks - addressing gaps in trust-level accountability - priorities and best practice for consistent leadership, safeguarding, and school improvement across trusts
- intervention and improvement strategies:
- role and effectiveness of RISE teams - funding and sustainability - interaction between RISE teams and discretionary academisation powers
- selective and faith schools:
- implications of proposed changes to faith school admissions and creation of new voluntary aided schools
- issues regarding inclusivity, parental choice, and community cohesion - priorities for safeguarding and educational standards
- safeguarding and wellbeing:
- the role of schools within statutory safeguarding partnerships - ensuring effective safeguarding across different types of schools and educational settings
- the way forward for supporting children’s wellbeing in light of new regulatory powers
- parental rights and home education:
- implications of proposed registration and suitability requirements for home-educated children
- defining and assessing suitable education - safeguarding, educational standards, and parental autonomy in diverse educational contexts
- workforce and leadership:
- latest thinking on teacher recruitment, qualifications, and pay across different school types
- strategic approaches to supporting leadership development in local authorities, trusts, and schools - addressing concerns regarding pressures linked to workforce flexibility
- approaches to coordination across the system:
- addressing fragmentation between maintained schools, academies, and faith-based institutions
- frameworks for collaboration on raising standards - what can be learned from existing improvement models that can inform future policy
