GCSE subject-costs can include the cost of an exchange or trip abroad for modern foreign Languages, of learning to play an instrument for music and extra kit for PE
Secondary school children from low-income families are being “bounced out of some subjects” – like cooking or music – due to cost issues, research from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows.
GCSE subject-costs can include the cost of fieldwork trips for geography, the cost of an exchange or trip abroad for modern foreign Languages, of learning to play an instrument for music, ingredients for food and nutrition and extra kit and equipment for PE.
Research by CPAG found nearly a quarter (23%) of secondary school pupils on free school meals (FSM) said cost fears have prevented them from choosing a subject to study, compared with 9% of their peers who are not receiving free lunches.
FSM students were also more likely to say costs were important to them when choosing school subjects – 29% said this was important to them compared with 11% of their more affluent peers. And almost a third (30%) of students eligible for free lunches say it’s difficult to afford what they need for homework, including access to technology and devices.
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Previous research by CPAG found it costs families a minimum of £2,274.77 per year to send their child to secondary school. Of this, families reported spending at least £449.67 on things like stationery, revision guides and calculators.
Kate Anstey, head of education policy at CPAG, said: “Children in struggling families are going back to school only to be bounced out of some subjects and learning by costs – cut off from opportunities just as the foundations of their futures are being laid.”
CPAG called on the Government to bring in more support for family incomes and invest in children’s futures – including scrapping the two-child limit – in its autumn child poverty strategy. Ms Anstey added: “The Prime Minister has promised to leave no stone unturned to give every child the very best start at life, but actions are needed to match that objective.”
A recent survey by charity Parentkind found nearly half of parents were worried about the cost of school uniforms for the new year, and 29% said they would go “without heating or eating” to pay for it.
The Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes a proposal to cap the number of branded uniform items schools in England can require.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but we have a clear plan for change to increase support for working families and break down barriers to opportunity.
“We are absolutely clear that schools should make sure the cost of curriculum subjects is not a barrier to access and that materials necessary for examinations are provided to all pupils.
“More widely, we are putting pounds back in parents’ pockets by limiting the number of branded uniform items, expanding free school meals to every family on Universal Credit and rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country.”
::: Survation surveyed 1,701 secondary school children in the UK for CPAG between April 17 and May 1.
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