Some elements are consistent across primary and secondary schools, others have a distinct shift in priority across school phases:
What parents want schools to prioritise:
• A clear majority of parents( 60 %) think schools should focus on educating children in a broad range of subjects( although this drops to less than half [ 49 %] for parents with a child at independent school)
• Older parents( age 45 +) are much more likely to prioritise educating children in a broad range of subjects than parents aged 18 to 34( 68 % vs 44 %)
• More than half( 54 %) of parents say that nurturing creativity and independent thinking should be a priority for schools
• More than half( 54 %) of parents want schools to prioritise teaching children useful life skills
• Primary school parents also say teaching their children to be able to mix with different groups of people is one of their top five priorities
What is less of a priority for parents:
• Just one in five( 19 %) parents think that preparing children to pass exams should be a priority for schools, rising to more than one in four( 27 %) of parents in Northern Ireland and one in four( 24 %) for parents with a child in secondary school / post-16 education
• Just four in ten( 38 %) parents think that preparing children for the world of work should be a priority for schools. This increases as children get older, but is still a priority for less than half( 44 %) of parents with a child in secondary / post-16 education
• More than one in three( 36 %) parents whose child is in secondary / post-16 education are concerned that their child ' s school / college isn’ t preparing them for the future jobs market
• Just 4 % of parents think schools should prioritise being a hub for community services, rising to 10 % in London. London parents are much more likely to prioritise wanting schools to provide food banks( 12 % London vs 3 % UK)
When asked what schools should prioritise, a clear majority of parents( 60 %) think schools should focus on educating children in a broad range of subjects
56 THE NATIONAL PARENT SURVEY 2025