The Schools Bill: A Christian perspective
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently making its way through parliament, with a successful passage so far through the commons. It is the biggest shake up of Education policy in a generation, and its provisions have not been without criticism; it has sparked controversy both in its content and process. With only a few sitting days between its publication and initial debate, MPs had limited time for thorough scrutiny. Katharine Birbalsingh, headteacher of Michaela School—the UK’s top-performing state school— said that the Bill’s implementation would have ”catastrophic consequences for the poor in this country”, accusing Bridget Phillipson of being a "Marxist" who “hates academies”.
But how should Christians- many of whom work in the schools that will be impacted by these policy changes- respond?
In order to evaluate what the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill sets out, it is important to think about what the Bible says- if anything- about education and its wholescale organisation.
Over the years, two main approaches to education have shaped educational reforms. The traditional approach has emphasised a structured, authoritative system focused on subject-centred learning, factual knowledge, and cultural transmission, valuing competition and measurable outcomes. In contrast, progressive approaches have prioritised egalitarianism, child-centred learning, creativity, and cooperation, focusing on skills over content, subjective assessment, and equal opportunities for all. The reality is that the UK curriculum and education system has elements of both, and most likely will continue to, to a greater or lesser degree.
As a diverse group of Christians involved in education, it’s clear that ACT members will come down in different places on aspects of educational policy.
ACT’s aim is not to stir political debate or critique curriculum design and pedagogy—though these are significant topics with valid arguments from a Christian perspective. Rather, we want to explore the guiding principles that Christians should keep in mind when engaging with policymakers on the broad issues related to educational reform. While a fully biblical approach to educational policy may be unrealistic under any government, we can still advocate for policies that reflect our core values—particularly the importance of family, holistic human flourishing and the privileged place that Christianity has in our schools, whilst still permitting freedom of expression and belief.
Here are some key principles that reflect a broadly Christian perspective on Education policy.
Education Policy should…
1. Respect parents as primary educators (but seek to safeguard children from abuse and neglect)
Does the policy or legislation view children primarily as wards of the state? If so, it is at risk of undermining the family’s God-given role. The Bible teaches that parents are entrusted by God to nurture, instruct, and guide their children (Psalm 127:3). The majority of children in state schools won’t have Christian parents, but the central role of parents in raising the next generation is still vital. Parents have the primary responsibility to raise the next generation; schools must not replace this role but should support it. While the highest standards of safeguarding must investigate and protect those in cases of genuine concern, the default presumption should be that parents have the ultimate responsibility and authority in their children’s education.
2. Reduce inequity and promotes high standards for all children
We want the best for every student, regardless of who they are or where they come from. This isn’t a matter of debate—it’s rooted in Biblical truth. While it may seem like common sense today, it was the influence of Christians in the 18th and 19th centuries that led the way in expanding education for all, especially the poorest. These pioneers understood that being made in God’s image (Genesis 1) reveals each child’s unique potential, creativity, and ability to think, reason, love, and learn. Psalm 139 reminds us that every child is "fearfully and wonderfully made," highlighting their inherent worth and individuality. All students deserve a quality education because they are equal before God, but education must reflect their uniqueness—it is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
3. Eliminate the proliferation of ideological materials or contested theories
When reviewing changes, we must consider how they interact with the mandate to love our neighbour (Mark 12:31), protect students from harmful content—particularly in RSE and Religious Education—and ensure we do not cause any "little ones to stumble" (Matthew 18:6). It’s vital to value knowledge that is rooted in truth. Many have rightly raised concerns about extreme RSE content that promotes permissive attitudes, harms young people, and is driven by ideology rather than fact.
We should prioritise a cautious, evidence-based approach: "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18). Research consistently highlights the positive impact of marriage and stable families (Genesis 2:24), which Christians should advocate for in RSE. While children should, of course, learn about different family structures, this must be done without an ideological slant or pressure to ‘celebrate all lifestyles’. And in other areas of the curriculum, knowledge should take precedence over the creeping influence of ideology.
4. Safeguard existing freedoms to share the Christian message through assemblies, clubs and RE lessons
Christians should honour the significant impact of churches and individuals within state schools over the years. Opportunities to speak about Christianity in assemblies, clubs, and RE are protected by law—an expression of God’s kindness. If these privileges were lost to secularism, we wouldn’t gain neutrality but simply replace one belief system with another. The legal requirements for RE and collective worship give young people the chance to explore Christianity’s truth claims, which is sound educational practice given our Christian heritage and its status as a major world religion.
What provisions does the bill actually make?
Well it doesn’t make for light reading. It is a whole 128 pages long! There are nearly 40 proposed policies. I’d advise reading Schools Week’s summary of the content where the provisions are broken down and explained in more detail. In short, it provides for much more centralised control. The main changes relate to Private School VAT implementation, increased power for local authorities, and less autonomy for academies. There’s also substantive changes to the law on home education, broadening teacher misconduct powers and of course, the provision of breakfast clubs to all children in state education.
So what are the problems and opportunities?
Problems:
1. Tighter controls over home education
Parents must remain free to decide how to educate their children. The state should only intervene if a child is at risk of significant harm, as set out in the 1989 Children Act. A compulsory home education register risks turning into a system that forces parents to meet state-imposed conditions.
The Bill requires registers of children not in school to record parents' and children's names and addresses, the time each parent spends educating the child, and details of any education from others, including at church groups or Sunday school.
This represents a fundamental shift in the role of parents and the state in education. Traditionally, parents decide how their child is educated, whether through school or home education (with the vast majority opting for state schools). However, this legislation effectively grants the state greater authority over that decision, potentially limiting parents' freedom to choose their child's educational path if they are not deemed suitable educators. Does this create questions over the God given role of parenthood? Does it create opportunity for bias against education from a Christian perspective? What if a Christian approach was assessed as ‘not suitable’ because it did not accord with ‘British values’?
2. Centralised control of curriculum
Many critics would say that academies—state-funded schools run by independent trusts rather than local authorities—have helped raise standards over the past decade or so by allowing schools to tailor their curricula to better serve their communities.
Under the Bill’s provisions, they will also have to follow the national curriculum, but the content of this will not be clear not until after the formal review has concluded and the government has responded.
The current “discrepancy between maintained schools and academies leaves potential for inconsistencies in education standards, opportunities and outcomes for pupils from different types of schools”, the government has said.
As the bill is being passed before the curriculum review has concluded, it creates a worrying stranglehold over schools. This will mean they are bound to teaching curriculum that nobody yet knows the content of. This also could pave the way for ideological materials to have a greater mandate in all schools- something that is all too likely given the panel, directed by Becky Francis are seeking to place a “social justice lens to everything” they are doing.
3. Lack of transparency around RSE materials
The Government rejected an amendment at committee stage to give parents a specific legal right to access to classroom materials, including sex education content, citing copyright and confidentiality. Conservatives argued it would improve lesson transparency. This is surely a cause for concern with the widespread proliferation of unsuitable, ideological and explicit materials over the past 5 or 6 years.
Opportunities:
1. Better safeguarding against severe abuse
New duties will mean parents will need local authority consent to home educate if their child is on a child protection plan or subject to a safeguarding inquiry, at a special school arranged by the council or subject to an enquiry. This could prevent abuse like the kind seen in the horrific case of Sara Sharif (although there are reports Sara was not at the time subject to an inquiry).
2. Christians could have greater opportunity to open faith schools
Since 2011, new state schools in England have mostly been established as free schools, with religious free schools subject to a 50% cap on faith-based admissions. The Bill proposes removing the free school presumption, allowing local authorities to invite proposals for all types of schools, including those that can be fully religiously selective. Theoretically, this could mean greater opportunity to open genuinely faith ethos schools. This may or not be a good thing, depending on our perspective on the Christian education ‘ecosystem’.
However, Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell MP clarified that
‘In practice it would only make a difference to new voluntary aided, foundation, and voluntary controlled schools with a faith designation. I recognise in bringing this amendment [Munira Wilson] is seeking to ensure that new schools are inclusive and that children have access to a good education and this is very much a mission that we share. The Government supports the ability of schools designated with a religious character to set faith-based oversubscription criteria. This can support parents who wish to have their children educated in line with their religious beliefs. But it is for a school’s admission authority to decide whether to adopt such arrangements.’
Conclusion
It is hard not to be concerned at the overreach of some of the content of this bill, and many Christians- and others- are concerned at the intrusive nature of much of its content, especially upon home educators.
There are so many unknowns, too: the content of the curriculum to be enforced upon all schools, whether the new requirement for requiring all teachers in state schools to have qualified teacher status would prohibit Church ministers from teaching RE modules, and how local authorities, already strapped for cash, will manage such burdensome inspections of home education. But we trust the Lord with these unanswered questions.
At ACT, we will be considering how to engage wisely and winsomely to ensure that priorities such as respecting parents as primary educators, promoting high standards for all, eliminating ideological bias in the classroom, and safeguarding the freedom to share the Christian message in schools are paramount. As we navigate these challenges, we do so with the ultimate goal of glorifying God, trusting in His wisdom and guidance. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
For more perspectives on this legislation, check out Christian Concern’s briefing paper
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