There has been some progress. 53 % now say their school listens to parents, up from 42 % in 2023. 60 % say their school gives clear information about supporting learning at home, compared with 54 % three years ago.
In 2023, just 14 % said the Government listens to parents when making decisions about education. Three years later, that figure remains unchanged at just 14 %. Most parents – 55 % – still say the Government does not listen to them. We want to help the Department for Education to do better in this area.
Parents still struggle with the cost of school in 2026
For millions of families, the cost of school is a real struggle.
Almost a quarter of parents( 23 %) have struggled to pay school costs, while three in ten have cut back elsewhere to cover them – more than three million parents across the UK.
The poorest families are being hit hardest. Almost half( 47 %) have struggled with school costs and half have had to cut back elsewhere.
Children are missing out too. Almost a third( 32 %) of children in the poorest households have missed a school trip because of cost.
What should happen next
We need to get serious about the role of parents in schools and in children’ s education. This is the missing piece of the jigsaw.
A quiet revolution is already going on in some of our schools. Our Parent-Friendly Schools accreditation is showing what can happen when schools make working with parents a priority. It gives schools a practical framework for improvement and a roadmap to achieve it.
We want every school to be a Parent-Friendly School, and every school to reach our Gold Standard. Strong parental engagement should be the norm rather than the exception.
We will also continue to work with the Department for Education to call for every school to have a lead for parental engagement. Ofsted has done a lot to champion parents in recent years, especially under Sir Martyn Oliver ' s leadership. We would like to see them go further to embed high expectations of parental engagement in education across our schools. The National Parent Survey gives parents a national platform and it is our job to make sure they are heard. The long summer holiday adds even more pressure. Seven in ten of the poorest families say the school holidays are financially difficult, and half of parents support a shorter summer holiday. Cost also limits what children can do outside school. A quarter do not take part in enrichment activities, and three in ten parents say cost stops their child doing more. We will continue to call for governments to do more to tackle the cost of school. 4 THE NATIONAL PARENT SURVEY 2026