This is a guest post written by a member of the Fair Education Alliance Youth Steering Group. These young people provide leadership on youth engagement across the Fair Education Alliance and are involved in the work across the Alliance from Collective Action and influencing policy to communications, events and supporting our Award Winners. Find out more about the work of the Youth Steering Group here.

“As a young person interested in politics, who wishes to pursue it at university, I often hear the phrase ‘Why should I care?’ ‘Why should young people care, the government doesn't care about us’ or ‘It's nothing to do with me, politics doesn't relate to me’. I have been adamant ever since I became interested in politics that this isn't the case and I still don't believe that this is true, yet I have never been to a meeting before where I have left feeling more confident and optimistic that we now live in a country where we have a ‘child-centred’ government.

This was a phrase repeated time and time again by Minister for Children and Families Janet Daby as we discussed the Children's Wellbeing and Schools bill at the APPG on Children, a landmark piece of legislation under the new Labour Government. During the APPG, we heard from representatives of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Children's Bereavement Network, the Schools Wellbeing Partnership, #OurWellbeingOurVoice Coalition and The Children's Charity Coalition.

Between these speakers, the message was clear that there is an appetite for change within the sector. Whether it's from the safeguarding and welfare enhancement the bill promises or the steps it's taking to reduce poverty, with breakfast clubs in primary schools and a cap on school uniforms. It is evident that the sector is behind the bill’s aims to tackle the inequalities and inequities within our education system.

Yet the other message in the room was that despite the encouraging nature of the bill, it didn’t go far enough in terms of protections and education on bereavement and anti-bullying. Neither did it tackle the fact that we have the unhappiest children/country for children in 2024, with the sector calling out for a national rollout of well-being measurement schemes, such as that championed by BeeWell and the #OurWellbeingOurVoice Coalition (which the FEA is a part of). The discussion that took place with MPs and Peers was once again encouraging and optimistic as they recognised the amendments that could be tabled, points of improvement in the bill and where they can hold the government to account regarding the legislation.

These improvements show the real appetite and appeal there is for this bill but also emphasise how influential APPGs are as a way to express ideas, influence policy and collaborate cross-party on a particular issue, in this case, children. So the next time somebody tells me that the government doesn't care about young people and children, I’ll be able to reference this very optimistic event and bill. I look forward to seeing it develop and hope it achieves some of its aims like ‘Driving high and rising standards for every child, Removing barriers to opportunity in schools, Creating a safer and higher quality education system for every child’, which at the Fair Education Alliance is something we have advocated for and worked for, for over 10 years.”

Thomas Williams, Fair Education Alliance Youth Steering Group