Parents are made to stump up

Children’s access to important educational opportunities is becoming even more dependent on their parents’ ability to pay, according to an annual cost-of-education survey by the NASUWT teaching union.

The union has attacked changes to government policy allowing schools to charge for more educational activities as well as criticising the abolition of national guidance on school charging policies.

Almost three-quarters of the thousands of parents who took part in the survey agreed that there should be much stronger regulation over how much schools are allowed to charge for the services they provide to pupils.

The survey found that the average cost to families of school meals has increased, with over half (51%) now paying between £2 and £4, compared to 44% in 2013.

And the cost of trips and excursions has increased, with well over a quarter of parents now spending over £200 per year. Meanwhile, the number of children whose equipment costs parents in excess of £76 per annum has risen from 6% in 2012 to almost a quarter (23%) in 2014.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said the costs of attending some schools is now acting as a barrier to parents accessing the school of their choice for their children.

“Educational experiences that promote opportunity and achievement should not be determined by an ability to pay,” she said.

www.nasuwt.org.uk/consum/groups/public/@education/documents/nas_download/nasuwt_013630.pdf