TO BE PUBLISHED July 2025
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This conference will consider next steps for England’s school system, with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill progressing through Parliament and as Government consults on reforming school accountability.
With changes proposed to local authority powers, trust oversight, and school improvement structures, delegates will consider wider implications for system leadership and governance, educational outcomes, and balancing autonomy with accountability.
Priorities and key implementation issues for the Bill
It is bringing together stakeholders and policymakers to examine the potential impact of proposed government reform on the evolving role of academies, multi-academy trusts (MATs), and faith and selective schools.
Those attending will assess the Bill’s aims to strengthen accountability, raise educational standards, and improve safeguarding, considering the practicalities of implementing proposed reform, and concerns around the potential for proposals in the Bill to challenge existing frameworks of school autonomy and local delivery. Discussion will also focus on how reform aligns with wider education policy priorities, including strategies to reduce regional disparities in pupil outcomes and support inclusive, high-quality education provision across England.
Delegates will explore implications of how the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill redefines the relationship between local authorities, schools and MATs, looking at proposed increase in powers granted to local authorities in areas such as admissions, safeguarding, and school improvement. They will consider strategies for supporting local authority capacity in line with expanded oversight, and priorities for preventing geographical inconsistencies in provision and pupil outcomes, as well as looking at how to ensure that local authorities are adequately resourced to fulfil proposed new responsibilities. Strategies to promote cross-sector collaboration to improve outcomes will also be considered.
RISE teams and priorities for school improvement
Implications of recent developments will be discussed, including the introduction of Regional Improvement and Standards Enhancement teams and their likely impact on school improvement, with government recently announcing an expansion with regional teams now expected to reach around 200 schools, as well as proposed strengthening of local authority powers over school admissions and improvement.
Delegates will examine how RISE teams are expected to operate and the scope of their authority in driving school improvement - including the potential for overlaps and tension between the teams, local authorities, and MATs - alongside concerns around potential confusion around intervention responsibilities, or legal and operational friction in efforts to support struggling schools. The agenda will explore how the introduction of RISE teams can complement existing structures, and how clear lines of accountability can be maintained and enhanced to support effective local action.
Academisation
The shift away from automatic academisation towards a discretionary approach will also be explored. Delegates will assess how this change will work in practice, including processes for identifying underperforming schools, determining interventions, and managing risks of legal challenges and delays.
Those attending will also assess broader implications of this shift, whether it might reduce the pace of academisation, and how local authorities and trusts can collaborate to provide timely, effective support to schools in need. Further discussion will centre on the potential impact of proposed national alignment on the curriculum and teacher standards on academy and MAT autonomy, and priorities for balancing innovation and consistency.
Inspection and accountability
Discussion will also consider how changes may impact the capacity of local authorities and MATs in delivery of school improvements and accountability, including options for achieving consistency in intervention, inspection, and support for under-performing schools.
Attendees will look at approaches to balancing school autonomy with system-wide oversight, including prospects for a formal inspection framework for MATs and alignment with wider accountability reforms. Sessions will also discuss recent calls from some for greater transparency in trust-level governance and funding, particularly in relation to variations in executive pay and leadership structures.
Selective and faith schools, home education, collaboration, and student outcomes
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 reform 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.
Areas for discussion also include proposals to introduce registration and suitability requirements for home-educated children, balancing government’s aims to improve oversight and safeguarding with concerns about potential overreach and infringement of parental rights. Discussion is expected around the definition of suitable education, how it should be assessed, and how to preserve educational diversity while ensuring children are not at risk. Delegates will also consider how to engage constructively with the home education sector to maintain trust while ensuring child wellbeing.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from HoC Library; NAO; and Ofsted.
