One in five teachers say their school has asked parents for money amid funding pressures

‘Parents are effectively plugging the gap on school funding,’ union leader suggests

Parents are being asked to pay for textbooks and materials as budgets are squeezed (Corbis)

One in five teachers have said their school has been forced to ask parents for financial contributions to help with funding, a new survey has found.

And in some cases parents are being asked to fork out hundreds of pounds over a school year to plug the gap, the research suggested.

The new poll, of 900 members of the National Education Union (NEU), comes amid continuing concerns about a squeeze on school budgets. But ministers have insisted that more money is going into schools.

The survey revealed that more than three-quarters of teachers have seen cuts to books and school equipment in the last year amid funding pressures.

And nearly half of teachers said their school has asked parents to pay for specific items needed during the school day – such as textbooks and materials for art and design and technology.

The study, which has been published for the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) section of the NEU in Brighton, also revealed that parents are being charged for attendance at concerts and sports events.

Overall, one in five of those questioned (20 per cent of both primary and secondary members) said that their school had asked parents for money to help with school funding in the current academic year.

Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of secondary school staff polled, and just over a third (35 per cent) of those working in primaries, said their school was renting out buildings – with 49 per cent of secondary and 20 per cent of primary NEU members saying schools were renting out grounds.

When asked whether parents are plugging the gap in teachers’ pay, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: “Yes. In practice, they have been asked to plug the gap in all sorts of places.

“The fact there isn’t enough money for textbooks – parents are being asked to plug that gap.”

He added: “This survey highlights the dreadful consequences a lack of school funding is having on the education of our children and young people.

“Removing teaching and support staff is gathering pace, parents are regularly being asked for money, subjects are being dropped from the curriculum, school trips cancelled, books and resources are not being replaced and class sizes are rising.

“The government should be ashamed of this list yet unbelievably is standing idly by and doing nothing about it. The secretary of state has to address this issue with urgency. Parents, teachers, headteachers and school staff will not let this issue lie.”

Delegates of the NUT section of the NEU will debate a motion on school funding at the conference today.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Thanks to our reforms and the hard work of teachers, there are 1.9 million more children in a good or outstanding school than in 2010.

“By 2020 core school funding will rise to a record £43.5bn – 50 per cent more per pupil in real terms than in 2000 – and the introduction of the national funding formula will address historic disparities in the system.

“We trust schools to manage their own budgets, but offer support to help them get the most out of every pound they spend – and latest figures show that schools hold surpluses of more than £4bn.”