A YouGov poll for the National Education Union (NEU) shows school cuts and staffing pressures are causing very real disruption to children’s education and parents calling on the Government to invest more.
In a poll of more than 3,000 parents in England, commissioned by the NEU and conducted by YouGov, parents were asked about their perceptions of the education system in England. The fieldwork for the poll was conducted either side of the General Election announcement. The poll shows:
- More than half (52%) of students in English state secondary schools are being taught by a supply or a non-specialist teacher. When taking into account all English secondary schools, 46% of those in years 10 and 11 are in the same position.
- When asked how often their child’s education is disrupted (how often classes are ‘covered’ for more than a week by a supply or non-specialist teacher), 42% of parents said this occurred once a month or more.
- 60% of parents with children in state secondary schools said their child had been taught by a supply or non-specialist teacher for more than a week once a month or more compared to 34% in state primaries. This figure stands at 58% for parents with children in years 10 and 11 who are preparing for exams.
- When asked which policy priorities would help their child succeed, the most popular answers called for more resource, staffing and funding. 41% of parents said better facilities would help, while 43% chose more support staff in class and 40% said more qualified teachers.
Staffing and funding pressures on schools are causing disruption to children’s education and the problem is more acute in secondary schools. 52% of parents with children in English state secondary schools say that their child is being taught by a supply of non-specialist teacher for at least one of their subjects.
Thinking about this academic year (i.e. since September 2023)… Which of the following statements best applies?
| Total | Primary school | Secondary school | State primary school | State secondary school | |
| One or more of my child's full-time teachers (i.e. the consistent teacher for a class/ subject) is a supply teacher/ a teacher who normally specializes in a different subject | 36% | 29% | 50% | 29% | 52% |
| All of my child's full-time teachers are specialists in their subject | 29% | 34% | 25% | 32% | 21% |
| Don’t know | 35% | 37% | 25% | 38% | 27% |
Parents also report a worrying lack of continuity in staffing for their child. When asked how often their child’s classes are ‘covered’ for more than a week by a supply or non-specialist teacher, 42% of parents said this occurred more than a week once a month.
60% of parents with children in state secondary schools said their child had been taught by a supply or non-specialist teacher for more than a week once a month or more compared to 34% in state primaries. This figure stands at 58% for parents with children in years 10 and 11.
Thinking about this academic year (i.e. since September 2023)… Now thinking about when supply teachers/ teachers who specialises in other subjects may 'cover' a class for a week or more. How often, if at all, has your child been taught by a supply teacher/ a teacher who specializes in a different subject for more than a week?
| Total | Primary school | Secondary school | State primary school | State secondary school | |
| More than once a month | 28% | 21% | 43% | 21% | 44% |
| Once a month | 15% | 14% | 17% | 13% | 16% |
| Once a term | 9% | 11% | 8% | 11% | 7% |
| Less than once a term | 12% | 15% | 9% | 14% | 8% |
| Never | 8% | 10% | 2% | 11% | 1% |
| Don’t know | 29% | 30% | 22% | 31% | 23% |
| Net once a month or more | 42% | 35% | 59% | 34% | 60% |
| Net once a term of less | 29% | 36% | 18% | 36% | 16% |
While parents are satisfied with the support that their children’s educational setting provides, half of parents (49%) are dissatisfied with Government funding for staffing and academic support in their child’s educational setting. Moreover half (50%) are dissatisfied with Government support for school trips and extracurricular activities.
How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that your child's education setting receives enough support for the following from the Government?
Funding for staffing and academic support
| Percentage | |
| Very satisfied | 11% |
| Fairly satisfied | 28% |
| Fairly dissatisfied | 25% |
| Very dissatisfied | 24% |
| Don’t know | 12% |
| Net satisfied | 39% |
| Net dissatisfied | 49% |
Funding for school trips and extra-curricular activities
| Percentage | |
| Very satisfied | 12% |
| Fairly satisfied | 28% |
| Fairly dissatisfied | 26% |
| Very dissatisfied | 24% |
| Don’t know | 10% |
| Net satisfied | 40% |
| Net dissatisfied | 50% |
When asked what solutions they believe would help their child to succeed in their education, parents' preferences lean towards more resources and staffing for education. 43% of parents say that more support staff would help their child succeed, while 41% said better facilities and 40% said more qualified teachers.
Which, if any, of the following do you think would help your child succeed in their education setting? (Please select all that apply)
| Percentage | |
| Better facilities (e.g. general classrooms, lesson-specific facilities such as labs or computer rooms) | 41% |
| More pastoral support (e.g. to support mental/ emotional wellbeing) | 37% |
| A greater number of qualified teachers | 40% |
| More support staff in class | 43% |
| Lower teacher/support staff turnover (e.g. fewer staff changes) | 31% |
| More access to specialist services (e.g. counsellors, speech and language therapists) | 33% |
| Fewer exams and assessments | 33% |
| Greater choice over the subjects they study | 36% |
| Greater breadth in the subjects they can study | 32% |
| More focus on arts education (including music) | 29% |
| More support for parents on low incomes | 22% |
| Less pressure from Ofsted | 33% |
| Other | 5% |
| Don’t know | 7% |
Parents further believe that teachers are underpaid for the work that they do. 56% of parents believe teachers are underpaid, while only 8% said they are overpaid.
In general, would you say teachers are overpaid, underpaid, or paid about the right amount?
| Percentage | |
| Overpaid a lot | 3% |
| Overpaid a little | 5% |
| Paid about the right amount | 28% |
| Underpaid a little | 29% |
| Underpaid a lot | 27% |
| Don’t know | 9% |
| Net overpaid | 8% |
| Net underpaid | 56% |
The polling comes as the education sector prepares to come together for the Education Renewed Summit at London’s County Hall on Friday 14th of June. Education Renewed will bring education staff together with sector leaders from think tanks, charities, unions and professional associations to discuss the state of the education sector and agree priorities for the next parliament. Delegates will hear from experts from the NEU, The Chartered College of Teachers, TeacherTapp, NFER and Parentkind among many others.
Commenting on the polling results, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the NEU and keynote speaker at the Education Renewed Summit, said:
“These findings underline the impact of the teacher recruitment and retention crisis on parents and children. The need for improvement to school and college funding and teacher pay is clearly urgently needed if we are to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis that is having such a negative impact on the education of the next generation.
‘According to the Government’s own figures teacher vacancies have increased sharply and are now a six-fold increase on 2010. The number of newly qualified entrants to the profession has dropped by a fifth. Teacher retention rates have worsened for almost all yearly cohorts – more than one in four teachers leave within 3 years of qualifying. There are increasing teacher shortages across the school system, with an increase in lessons taught by non-specialist subject teachers across almost the whole of the secondary curriculum. This is clearly unsustainable.
‘Whatever the result of the General Election, the next Government must act urgently to repair the damage that has been done to education by establishing an independent commission to investigate how unions and Government can work together to solve the recruitment and retention crisis and teacher pay. This is as vital for parents and children as it is for teachers and school leaders.
‘The Education Renewed Summit, this Friday will take stock of the reforms of the past decade and propose solutions to the immense challenges facing the sector and agree the priorities for reform to education at this critical political juncture.”