A new research report finds that 95% of mainstream schools and 87% of special schools have provided uniform and clothing items to pupils (Lucas et al, 2023).
Published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the report also finds that 90% of schools are subsidising extra-curricular activities for some pupils. And 70% report providing food to pupils via food parcels, food banks, food vouchers, or subsidised breakfasts. Some schools said they were even providing free school meals to pupils who were not eligible for the funding.
The study involved some 2,600 teachers and senior leaders and other less common examples of support being offered by a minority of schools included “warm banks”, support with school transport costs, and facilities for washing clothes.
The study has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation and finds that 84% of senior leaders report an increase in the numbers of pupils needing additional support due to the cost of living crisis. And it is not just pupils who are eligible for the Pupil Premium who are requiring this support – the study involves many schools where a significant number of non-FSM children are accessing help.
The school leaders also report that increases in the cost-of-living have led to an increase in safeguarding concerns, behaviour incidents and absenteeism, particularly in secondary and more disadvantaged schools.
The cost of living has disproportionately hit food costs and many of the schools said they were not only providing food parcels or vouchers to pupils but supporting families too.
The report states: “Many schools are not only supporting pupils, but also providing support to pupils’ households. For example, around half of secondary and special schools are providing food parcels/food banks to pupils’ households (50% and 48% respectively) and this rises to 59% of primary schools.”
Elsewhere, the revelations about school uniform come despite government statutory guidance last year (DfE, 2021) ordering schools to keep costs down for families and to limit the use of branded items.
However, research last term found that some schools are demanding students wear five or even seven items of branded school uniform, driving up costs for families and flying in the face of the guidance.
A study from The Children’s Society involving 2,000 parents and carers found that on average secondary school uniforms are costing families £422 per-student, per-year and that uniform policies are demanding an average of three branded items. At primary level, costs were hitting £287 a year.
NFER research director and report co-author, Jenna Julius, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is having a profound impact on pupils and families. Schools are providing unprecedented levels of urgent support. Pupils whose most basic needs are not being met – whether it is going to school hungry, or being unable to afford uniform or transport costs – are less likely to attend school and successfully engage with learning.
“Without urgent action now there is a risk that the crisis will have far reaching and long-lasting impacts on pupils.”
The report makes a number of recommendations, including calling on the government to extend the current eligibility for FSMs in mainstream schools. The report adds: “At the absolute minimum, this should involve uprating the income threshold for eligibility to reflect inflationary pressures since 2018/19.”
It adds: “In the short term, families should be provided with additional support, which might include revisiting current levels of welfare support for families and/or additional cost-of-living payments.”
Commenting on the findings, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “In the vast majority of schools, it is becoming increasingly necessary to provide welfare support for pupils. School staff provide this support out of a duty of care and because they need to ensure pupils are fit to learn, but this is not a long-term solution. It is completely unacceptable that so many young people are going without their basic needs being met. The government has to do more to help families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and provide the sustained investment necessary to tackle child poverty.
“We agree with the recommendations made in this report and in particular the urgent need to extend the FSMs scheme. Even before the cost-of-living crisis, there were children living in poverty who were not eligible for FSMs. An extension of the scheme to all families in receipt of Universal Credit is long overdue. Introducing a system of auto-enrolment would also be hugely beneficial as 11% of pupils who are eligible are not currently taking advantage of the scheme.”
The NFER is due to published two further papers on this theme. The second focused on the impact on school provision. The third looked at school workforce issues resulting from cost-of-living pressures.
- DfE: Statutory guidance: Cost of school uniforms, 2021: https://tinyurl.com/28bryreb
- Lucas et al: Cost-of-living crisis: Impact on schools (pupils and families), NFER, September 2023: https://tinyurl.com/2x85uupx