Editorial: Pitfalls remain in the new Education Act

As our analysis on p11 points out, the final Act contains key amendmentsto the original draft Bill that have both surprised, and delighted, manyin the sector. The first is the tightening up of school admissionarrangements, with a whole range of measures that aim to make the systemfairer. In particular, schools will be under a legal duty to admitlooked-after children, even if they're full, and they'll have to act inaccordance with the revamped and strengthened code of practice ratherthan simply having regard to it.

The second, and more seismic, shift in the Government's thinking is thenew requirement for schools to promote pupils' wellbeing alongside theiracademic achievements. Previously, ministers resisted efforts to spellout in law the duties of schools when it came to the Every Child Mattersoutcomes. However, with this very late amendment, the educationsecretary has aligned schools much more closely to the developmentstaking place in the rest of the children's sector.