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Secure 16 to 19 Academies Bill: HL Bill 125 of 2024–26

Secure 16 to 19 academies (secure schools) are a new form of provision for some children and young people sentenced or remanded in custody. They are different to other academies because they are also custodial establishments. One secure school has been established to date: Oasis Restore in Rochester, Kent.

The Secure 16 to 19 Academies Bill is a private member’s bill sponsored by Lord Bach (Labour) in the House of Lords. The bill would make three changes to the Academies Act 2010 to enable different requirements to apply to secure schools. This would include reducing the minimum notice period the government must provide to terminate a secure school’s funding agreement from seven to two years.

Emma Foody (Labour Co-op MP for Cramlington and Killingworth) introduced the bill in the House of Commons on 21 October 2024. The bill completed its Commons stages on 11 July 2025. The bill’s second reading in the Lords is scheduled to take place on 24 October 2025. The government supports the bill, with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) providing explanatory notes.

Image by MChe Lee on Unsplash.