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STRENGTHENED GUIDANCE TO HELP KEEP THE COST OF SCHOOLING DOWN FOR PARENTS
03 February 2009- Guidance underlining law on charging for school activities published -
- Cost of Schooling 2007 Report shows overall spending rises 4 % -
- One in six parents say they have no choice in where to buy uniforms - Children’s Secretary Ed Balls warned today that schools need to take more account of tighter family finances in drawing up charging and uniform policies. Publishing revised guidance for heads on charging policies, ministers said that schools needed to publicise financial support available for parents better and do everything they can to keep uniform and educational trip costs down in the current downturn. It comes as the Cost of Schooling 2007 report was also published today looking at uniform, PE kit, trips, lunch, travel, stationery, extra classes and voluntary contributions. The report found that average total annual cost for primary schools was £683.79 and in secondary schools was £1,195.47. Overall, costs have risen 4 per cent on average since the previous survey in 2003. It shows that eight in ten parents are happy with costs of school – down from 90 per cent in 2003 but almost four in ten found it very or quite difficult to meet overall costs of schooling, up from 27 per cent. But ministers said they were concerned about that one in six parents said they had to buy all items of uniform and PE kit from a designated sole supplier or their school itself – despite clear government guidance that setting exclusive uniform deals with retailers disadvantaged low income families.And they said it was unacceptable and unlawful for any school to ask for compulsory contributions towards school trips which were part of the normal curriculum – as some schools admitted they do. Ministers were also worried that half of all parents sometimes felt pressured into contributing to voluntary school trip costs.The report also finds that although most schools gave financial support to low income families for uniforms, many families are not aware of what help is available and did not know the rules on charging for extras.Children’s Secretary Ed Balls said he wanted to underline schools’ legal responsibilities around keeping the cost of schooling down – on top of national reforms to cut home to school travel costs; keep school lunch prices in check and increase take up of free school meals; and clear advice to make sure schools set affordable uniform prices.He also said that ministers would introduce new legislation shortly to strengthen and improve the handling of parents’ complaints about school issues – including uniform policies and school charging as well as other areas. Ed Balls said: “We know many parents, even on the lowest incomes, are prepared to go the extra mile to invest in their children’s education so they get the most out of school – and the vast majority are happy to do so.“But I am very concerned that some schools risk putting extra pressure on family finances, particularly in the present economic climate, simply because they are not following the rules on charging and school uniform. “The rules on charging are crystal clear and no child should be disadvantaged or penalised because they cannot afford out of class activities. It is completely unacceptable for schools to levy compulsory charges for activities, like day trips, which are part of the school curriculum or for families to feel pressured into making voluntary contributions. “The Government has worked hard to support all families – including keeping schooling costs down. There have been massive rises in school funding targeted at deprived areas; we have combated child poverty; and taken action to support people and businesses in the current downturn. “Most local authorities and schools give dedicated assistance to poorer families – but it is wrong for some families to be potentially missing out on help because they do not know what financial help is on offer or even understand what they should or shouldn’t be paying for. It is absolutely vital for schools and local authorities to fully engage parents and publicise what help is available.”School UniformsMr Balls added he was concerned that some schools were ignoring the Government’s non-statutory guidance which said that the chosen uniform should be affordable to all parents and widely available.It also makes clear that exclusive contracts with expensive sole suppliers risk enforcement action by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The mandatory School Admissions Code places a statutory duty on all schools to ensure that admissions policies do not disadvantage any children.Mr Balls said:
“Uniforms are vital in instilling a sense of pride, unity and strong ethos but schools need to use common sense in balancing having a striking identity and requiring parents to buy more expensive items of clothing.
“It is good to see that individual items of clothing tend to cost less on average than in 2003 and that most schools offer some form of financial assistance with uniform costs. “It is rightly for individual schools to decide their school uniform policies but we are clear that this should be done in consultation with the community, parents and pupils.
“But I am extremely concerned that parents still claim they have to buy all or some of their uniforms from more expensive sole suppliers or the school itself. “It is absolutely unacceptable for the cost of uniforms to be a barrier for poorer families and it is bizarre that any school would risk leaving itself open to investigation by the OFT by ignoring our guidance. Local authorities have the power to provide school clothing grants to parents and many schools are working hard to keep prices down“It seems extraordinary that while many schools in the survey say they offer free or cut-price second hand uniforms to parents, few actually bother publicising it and so few parents are aware they are available. When household budgets are tight, schools need to do everything they can to make sure parents can keep uniform costs down.“Parents who are unhappy about the cost of their child’s uniform should raise their concerns with the school's governing body – which is required to have a formal complaints procedure in place. Furthermore, we are introducing new legislation very shortly to further strengthen the complaints system for parents.”Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The updated Charging for School Activities guidance is published today on: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/c/chargingforactivities/index.cfm?code=main 2. Government reforms over the last to support low-income families meet the additional cost of schooling include:• extending the rights to free home to school transport for low income families;
• new guidance providing clear advice to schools and governing bodies to help them formulate fair, reasonable and affordable school uniform policies;
• developing a better system to help prove eligibility for free school meals more easily – and investing over £600m to improve school dinner provision, including cutting ingredient costs to help keep down the cost of school meals;
• promoting school trips through the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto – including cutting red tape and bureaucracy; better information to teachers to plan trips; and promoting low-cost, high quality educational visit providers.
3. The Cost of Schooling 2007 report, prepared by the British Market Research Bureau, is published at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/index.cfm?type=5&x=73&y=9
It updates a previous study of costs in 2003 available at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR588.pdf
Detailed findings are below. All 2003 comparison figures have been adjusted for inflation:Overall Schooling Costs• Primary school total average annual spending was £683.79 and secondary school total average annual spending was £1195.47 – overall a rise of £34 or 4% since the previous report in 2003.
• 83% of parents very or quite happy with overall costs of schooling – down from 90% in 2003.
• 38% of all parents found it very or quite difficult to meet overall costs of schooling – up from 27% in 2003. Low income families, especially those not working, find it most difficult.
• Only one in five parents were aware of financial assistance available from their child’s school, with awareness much lower in the lowest earning families - compared to the 76% of schools who said they made assistance available.
• 29% of all parents were asked to contribute voluntarily to school funds – with £35 on average asked for. Lower income families contributed less.
• Schools said that funds were used for trips; events; sports; building and maintenance; and uniforms and equipment for more deprived families.School Uniforms and PE Kit• Average annual cost was £184.17 overall compared to £179.47 in 2003 – with average spending being £211.60 in secondary schools and £163.72 in primaries. The most expensive items were shoes and blazers;
• Almost all items of uniform were on average cheaper in 2007 than in 2003 – with parents buying more items than four years earlier.;
• 17% parents reported they had to buy all items of uniform from a single shop or the school itself – with only 22% reporting that they could buy all items from any supplier;
• 34% of parents required to buy clothes at sole suppliers were not happy with the costs – compared to just nine per cent who were free to buy anywhere.
• average cost of individual uniform items have dropped since 2003, though clothes costs at sole suppliers to be more expensive;
• Parents who buy uniform from sole suppliers are much less happy with the cost than parents who can buy uniform anywhere - 34% of parents required to buy clothes at sole suppliers were not happy with the costs – compared to just nine per cent who were free to buy anywhere;
• many schools offer reduced price uniforms or local authority grants to help reduce costs – but only a third of parents reported schools offered free or cut-price second hand uniform even though six out of ten schools said they offered it. Only around half schools offering the service actually publicised it;
• Parents gave far higher average costs for clothes and PE kit than schools surveyed. School Trips • 87% of parents said they been asked to pay for a school trip – with the average day trip costs being £9.47 in primaries and £21.70 in secondaries and average UK residential trips being £153.14 in primaries and £160.07 in secondaries.
• Three quarters of all parents said they were asked to pay for the entire cost of the most recent trip – over nine out of ten paid for entire costs of the residential trips and 68% for day trips.
• Half of all parents sometimes sometimes felt pressured into contributing to voluntary school trips costs;
• 10% of primaries and 32% of secondaries surveyed admitted they made compulsory charges for school trips which were part of the National Curriculum – even though this is unlawful. Only 38% of parents knew that they should not pay for trips during school hours;
• Just 8% of families eligible for free school meals were aware that by law they should not pay board and lodging on residential school trips – with only 40% of primaries and 50% of secondaries saying they actually publicised this
• 35% parents said they were never invited to discuss payment difficulties with teachers – up from a quarter in 2003. Over parents on the lowest incomes more than 68% Costs of lunch during school day (including paid-for school meals; packed lunches; meals off-site; and home meals).• A third of parents with children eligible for free school meals did not take up their offer, the same as 2003 – with the majority preferring to eat packed lunch, eat out of school or eat with friends with the same lunch arrangements.
• Just 48% of eligible parents said they had even received information on free school meals even though 92% of schools said they publicised it in prospectuses, letters to parents and through the local authority.
• Over six in ten parents said they paid between £1 and £2 a day on lunch for their child – with 26% saying costs was over £2 and 11% less then £1. Costs were higher for secondary school pupils.
• Average cost of lunch provided by schools was £1.81 – in line with the annual School Lunch Take Up Survey by the School Food Trust and Local Authority Caterer’s Association published last year.Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2009/0023
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