A snapshot online survey of 40 parents with school-age children across Coventry indicates that the ‘costs of a school day’ continue to increase, are a significant burden on parents, and go beyond the issue of school uniform costs.

Coventry Citizens Advice (CCA) distributed a short 10-question survey either side of Christmas to parents across the city to gauge how actual or estimated school costs this year compared with last year.

It also sought views on how Pupil Premiums – worth thousands of pounds to each school – should be spent and what parents thought were, and were not, essential school uniform options.

CCA believes the survey’s findings support the need for further research and urges those with access to school-age parents to promote the short survey in their schools to get an even more accurate picture of what school-age parents have faced this year.

The survey can be accessed here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZRBXKWM .

The key findings of the research were as follows:

• 69% of respondents said they spent, or expected to spend, over £100 on school clothing in 2022-23 (35% said they had spent, or expected to spend, over £200).
• 67% of respondents said they spent, or expected to spend, more than £100 on other school costs, including travel, trips, food and IT needs (42% said they had spent, or expected to spend, more than £200).
• 70% and 67%, respectively, said these expenditures were higher than last year. The most expensive items, other than school clothing, were ‘travel and trips’, then food, then IT costs.
• When asked what Pupil Premium income should be spent on there was no consensus with ‘general hardship fund’, ‘subsidising school uniform’, and ‘special needs provision’ each receiving between 20%-25% of the votes. Subsidising pre-school and after-school clubs also received votes.
• When asked whether parents would prefer to buy “affordable” school uniform or rely on school second-hand uniform swap schemes, 87% said they would prefer to buy affordable uniform rather than rely on second hand clothes schemes however well-intentioned.
• When asked what counted as a school uniform “essential” 85% of respondents said a ‘blazer and tie’ combination did not, while 90% said a school logo on PE kits was also not an essential.
• Finally, when asked whether they felt school uniform/school costs policies were driven by what schools wanted, what parents wanted or some combination of both, 62% of respondents felt policies reflected what schools alone wanted while 38% felt they reflected what both schools and parents wanted. No respondents felt that these policies were driven by parents’ wishes alone.

End.

For further enquiries contact Ed Hodson at ehodson@coventrycab.org.uk .