Humanists welcome King’s Speech plans to close illegal schools, reform curriculum and admissions

Humanists UK has welcomed commitments from the new Labour Government to close illegal schools as part of the King’s Speech – which sets out the Government’s agenda for the months ahead. The Speech also includes welcome commitments on a home education register and curriculum and admissions reform.

Illegal schools and home education

The Children’s Wellbeing Bill will include measures to introduce a ‘Children Not in School Register’ and give powers to Ofsted to ‘investigate the offence of operating an unregistered independent school’. These measures appear to be similar to those included in the 2022 Schools Bill, which had cross-party support but was dropped for unrelated reasons. Humanists UK has been campaigning to have the plans reintroduced since, and so the announcement is extremely welcome.. There are at least 6,000 children in England missing from mainstream education and who are trapped in unsafe illegal ‘schools’, being subject to a narrow, scriptural education in cramped, unsanitary conditions. They are vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse. They are able to exist due to loopholes in the law that it is hoped the new Bill will close.

Curriculum reform

The proposed Bill also features a commitment to ‘giving every child a broad and rounded education’ by requiring all academies and maintained schools to teach the national curriculum. This will follow on from an expert-led curriculum and assessment review, which was a Labour Party manifesto commitment in the general election. There has been no review of the curriculum since 2013 and is already falling out of date, particularly in relation to Religious Education (RE), where case law mandates that schools should teach about humanism alongside religions. Wales has already revised its curriculum to reflect this case law, so it is hoped England may now catch up. Humanists UK has campaigned for reform of the subject and its inclusion in the national curriculum. 

Admissions

Local councils will also be given greater powers in regards to school admissions, with an emphasis on making sure the admissions process ‘account for the needs for communities’. This has been welcomed by Humanists UK, which campaigns for a single admissions system where all state schools are open to children from any background or belief.

Humanists UK’s Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:

‘We welcome the new Government’s proposals to bring forward legislation that should close illegal schools, and make sure that every child has a balanced and safe education that will equip them for the future. 

‘Measures to review the curriculum and require all schools to teach to it, and give councils further powers over the admissions process, are also positive steps forward for a more inclusive education. We look forward to working with the Government to develop these proposals.’