Schools are spending millions of pounds each year helping students from deprived backgrounds with food, clothing and other unfunded support, according to head teachers.
Staff are also covering transport costs for pupils and helping complete paperwork for families at schools across the country.
School workers are even buying birthday presents for students, washing their clothes and offering lifts to and from school, according to a study by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).
The association claims schools are being forced to plug gaps in public services, and are "starting to provide miniature welfare states".
Russell Hobby, the general secretary of NAHT, said despite promises to protect education funding, cuts to other vital public services "will come home to roost at the school gates".
Some 84% of the more than 2,000 NAHT members questioned said they are providing more support for children from deprived backgrounds compared to five years ago.
NAHT claims the typical amount spent by primary schools from their own budgets on extra support is around £2,000. For secondary schools the figure is £3,000.
It added that with more than 16,700 state-funded secondary schools in England as of January last year, and more than 3,300 state-funded secondaries, this equates to a national annual total of £43.5m.
"Regardless of the promise to protect education spending in the next parliament, cuts to other public services will come home to roost at the school gates," Mr Hobby said.
No comments:
Post a Comment