Report on the impact of cost-of-living crisis on schools

The National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) report The ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on schools is based on a survey of 1,282 teachers and senior leaders across mainstream primary and secondary schools.

It offers insights into how the increased cost of living is contributing to pressures on schools and looks at how staff are responding to these challenges​.

This is a follow-up to a report NFER released last autumn and reinforces the seriousness of schools’ financial positions identified in other recent studies. It found:

• 31 percent of primary school respondents said more children were showing up to class hungry
• 40 per cent reported an increase in pupils arriving without adequate clothing
• 79 per cent of primary school teachers (and 62 per cent of secondary school) said they were spending their own money purchasing items for pupils
• 93 per cent of primary and 87 per cent of secondary leaders report making cuts in at least one area in response to cost pressures
• 46 per cent of primary senior leaders and 33 per cent of secondary senior leaders report making cuts to planned spending on building improvements and new buildings in response to current cost pressures.

It recommends:

• Extend the current eligibility for free school meals to ensure pupils in need who do not meet the current eligibility criteria can benefit
• Provide targeted financial support to help schools address pupil’s well-being needs, alongside meeting the additional direct costs (e.g., salary and running costs) associated with current cost pressures
• Increase the capacity and responsiveness of support around families to ensure pupils can access the appropriate support and specialist services in a timely manner, rather than schools and teachers having to step in to fill those gaps in support. This could include revisiting current levels of welfare support for families.