Netmums.com, 15th December 2025
A huge new poll reveals how often parents are now being asked to cover school basics.
Parents say they’re increasingly being asked to pay for the basics at school, from glue to heating, as stretched budgets leave headteachers relying on families to fill widening funding gaps.
This is according to findings from the biggest ever poll of parents in England, published today by the Parent Voice Project.
And it’s not just schools, nurseries are also charging more for consumables. A ‘consumables fee’ is a charge to parents for items and services not covered by government within the funded hours, such as sun cream, meals, and snacks, and sometimes extra activities like music lessons, to help providers cover shortfalls in funding.
Parents paying more than ever
The new organisation, Parent Voice Project, recently launched with a parent survey and a promise to put mums’ and dads’ real experiences at the centre of education debates. More than two fifths of parents said they’ve been asked to contribute to their child’s day-to-day school running costs. For almost one in five, it’s happened on multiple occasions.
One mum from Trafford, with children aged eight and 15 years-old, said: ‘The system’s broken, isn’t it? It’s at a massive crisis point. It’s about funding, and it’s not just this government or the one before, it’s historical. They’re not putting enough money into education.’
What the new project is trying to fix
The Parent Voice Project was created by campaigner Fiona Forbes to give families a proper seat at the table.
She said: ‘Parents are often talked about as a key stakeholder group in education, but remarkably little is known about their views at a national level, and even less about how those views may be changing over time.’
The project will publish three reports this academic year. Today’s instalment, What Parents Value in Education, focuses on what matters most to families in school life. Later reports will look at how well schools work for every child, and how parents engage with schools day to day.
Funding pressures hitting families hardest
The poll shows a clear divide.
- 47% of affluent parents said they’d been asked to contribute to running costs, compared with 35 % of lower-income families.
- Primary parents faced more requests (45 %) than secondary parents (37 %).
- London and grammar schools are making the most frequent asks, with 56 % of grammar school parents reporting donation requests.
One dad from Swindon said: ‘Schools don’t have enough money and if they want to do anything nice, they have to ask the parents to fund it.’
Another parent from Oldham added: ‘It all goes back to the Government’s got no money… so the school’s not got any funding.’
The rising cost of school life
School uniform is a growing pressure point. 13% of parents said they regularly struggle to cover it, while a further 33% struggle occasionally. Secondary parents feel the squeeze most.
One parent said: ‘You’re spending up to £300 on school uniform in the lead-up to September.’
Parents also told researchers they’d like more notice when extra costs are coming. As one mum from Swindon put it: ‘Every month I do my bills, and then it’s really annoying when my son drags something out of his book bag like “Oh yeah, there’s a book fair next week”.’
What parents say is going wrong in schools
Across the country, families rated these as the three biggest issues in schools:
- Funding cuts
- Behaviour
- Mobile phones
‘Most of the lesson is taken up with behaviour issues,’ one mother from Trafford said. ‘Instead of being able to teach, the teacher is correcting behaviour issues.’
Phones came up repeatedly too. A father from Trafford told the Parent Voice Project: ‘A lot of the behaviour issues stem from phones. So if there’s one thing I would do as an education minister, it would be to stop phones in schools.’
Parents also raised worries about mental health support and rising wraparound costs. One mother told focus groups: ‘With the cost of nursery and two wraparound clubs… it’s just not worth me working at the moment.’
How parents choose a school
Despite what many assume, Ofsted ratings are nowhere near the top of families’ priority lists, instead families chose:
- Location
- Reputation
- Ease of travel
- Their child’s preference
- Impressions from visits
Only then came Ofsted. One parent described it as ‘a bit of a show’. Parents also said they trust and value teachers highly. ‘Teachers are heroes,’ said one mum from Swindon. ‘They do the best they can with not much support.’
What this means for families now
The polling points to a mixed picture. Parents praise teachers and say most children receive a high-quality education. But confidence drops as children get older, and lower-income families report feeling the strain of school life most sharply.
Across focus groups, parents said they want schools to be safe, well-funded and calm enough for children to learn. As one dad put it simply: ‘I want him to go into school and be safe and happy to go.’
The next two reports from the Parent Voice Project are due later this year and are expected to give more insight into how families experience the school system, and what they want changed.
5 FAQs on parents funding schools
1. Why are parents being asked to pay for basic school supplies in England?
Parents are increasingly being asked to cover basics like glue sticks, books, and even heating because school budgets are under significant pressure. Headteachers say funding gaps mean schools rely more on voluntary contributions from families to cover day-to-day running costs.
2. How many parents are being asked to contribute to school running costs?
According to the Parent Voice Project survey of 6,000 parents in England, more than two fifths have been asked to contribute to school running costs, and nearly one in five say this has happened multiple times.
3. Which families are most affected by school funding pressures?
Affluent parents report being asked to contribute more often (47%) than lower-income families (35%), but lower-income families say the costs hit them harder. Primary school parents, London families, and parents of children at grammar schools face the most frequent requests.
4. What school costs do parents struggle with the most?
School uniform is one of the biggest pressures. Thirteen percent of parents regularly struggle to afford uniform, and a further 33% struggle occasionally. Secondary school parents report the highest costs, with some spending up to £300 at the start of the school year.
5. What do parents say are the biggest problems in schools today?
Parents consistently identify three main issues: funding cuts, pupil behaviour, and mobile phones in schools. Many say behaviour problems disrupt learning, and some believe phones are a major contributor. Mental health support and wraparound childcare costs are also growing concerns.