Almost one in three parents in England are struggling to afford the cost of sending their child to school, according to a survey.
Among the biggest worries for parents were uniforms, with 50 per cent concerned about this cost, according to a survey conducted by YouGov and published today by Parentkind.
A similar proportion (45 per cent) of parents said they were concerned about the cost of school trips, while one-fifth (20 per cent) said they were concerned about the cost of transport to and from school.
Responses from parents in England showed 34 per cent said they were concerned about the cost of sending their child to school
And 27 per cent said they struggled to afford the costs associated with sending their child to school.
The findings come amid a cost-of-living crisis affecting families across the country and warnings that schools are providing “unprecedented levels of urgent support”.
The survey gauged parent opinion on a range of issues connected to their children’s education. It was carried out across the UK and included 3,067 parents in England.
Just 14 per cent of the respondents in England agreed that the government listens to parents on what they want for their child’s education.
Almost a third (31 per cent) of parents responding to the Parentkind survey said they were concerned that their child’s school is not preparing them for the future job market.
Seven in 10 (70 per cent) agreed that digital skills should be given equal importance alongside reading, writing and maths as a core part of the school curriculum.
Pupil anxiety
Parent responses also reflected increasing concerns that schools face around pupil wellbeing.
More than four in 10 (41 per cent) of parents said that their child had experienced anxiety, while 15 per cent said that their child had experienced depression.
Responding to The National Parent Survey, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said that while schools see the impact of the challenges facing families across the country, “it is not their core role to tackle them”.
“They have also suffered years of real-term reductions in funding and even government initiatives like school mental health support teams still only offer support in certain areas of the country,” Mr Whiteman added.
He said that schools “often find it difficult to access help for pupils from under-funded community services”.
Cost-of-living crisis
Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said that ministers “should be thoroughly ashamed” by the results of the survey.
She said: “Families are being clobbered by the cost-of-living crisis, we’re seeing a tidal wave of mental ill health among our young people, and too many of our children are either out of school or in school but not enjoying it.”
Parentkind chief executive officer and former teacher, Jason Elsom, said that the survey was a “wake-up call to schools and politicians around the country”.
He added: “The cost-of-living crisis is hitting more and more families who used to have comfortable incomes but are now concerned about the cost of sending their children to school.”
A government spokesperson said that government was “committed to supporting the most vulnerable households” and “some children may be entitled to free transport to and from school and we urge parents to speak to their local authority if they think their child might be eligible.”
