Almost four in five parents believe the cost of sending children to school is increasing, as 42% have been asked to donate to the school fund over the past year, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) UK announced last Friday.
In its annual parent survey on the issue, PTA UK found parents to be concerned about the costs of school experience all round. While 50% and 48% of the respondents said they worried about the cost of school trips and uniforms, respectively, 20% also thought the cost for technology (tablets, internet access, laptops), as well as materials/equipment for music, art and sports were a cause for concern.
The lack of resources dedicated to non-Ebacc subjects – such as arts and music – is one reason why BESA decided to launch the Resource Our Schools campaign last May. Research shows that well-resourced schools are more likely to deliver high-quality education to children.
Caroline Wright, Director General of BESA, welcomed the release of the PTA UK report, saying that it is crucial that the education sector builds a strong evidence base of the burden that the school funding crisis is putting on everyone – children, teachers and parents.
“It is sad to see that the school funding crisis has escalated to such an extent that every day, we feel the strain it is putting on UK society – whether it is a twitter thread, a survey release, or a new campaign. The NAHT recently relaunched its ‘school funding is in crisis’ campaign, to show to the UK government that the situation in schools is at breaking point.
“We at BESA share the concerns of the NAHT and those expressed by the parents surveyed by PTA UK. When teachers and parents are struggling to make ends meet because they have to buy school resources themselves, we are justified to worry about the education that our children receive, despite the teachers’ best efforts.
“I do hope PTA’s efforts will act as a wakeup call for the government, because the funding crisis in our schools is real and the government’s announcement of an extra £1.3bn over two years is a drop in the ocean.”
