Parents feel less involved in education as families struggle with school costs, survey finds

Parents say they want to be more involved in their children’s education, but time, unclear guidance and rising school costs are creating barriers.

A shot of a four person family walking along the sidewalk safely, the parents are taking their children home from school.

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Published: September 16, 2026 at 12:07 PM

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A growing number of parents say they no longer feel involved in their child’s education, while almost one in five say their school does not give them clear information about how to support learning at home.

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The findings come from Parentkind’s National Parent Survey 2026, described by the organisation as the UK’s largest annual parent poll. YouGov surveyed 6,053 parents of school-age children across the UK, with the results weighted to be nationally representative.

The survey looked at parents’ experiences of engaging with schools, home learning, enrichment activities, school trips and the cost of education.

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Fewer parents say they feel involved at school

In 2026, 59% of parents said they felt involved in their child’s education, down from 80% in 2023.

Meanwhile, 23% said they did not feel involved this year, compared with 9% in 2023.

Parents of primary school children were more likely to feel involved, at 65%, compared with the overall figure.

There was also a significant difference depending on household income. Almost three quarters (74%) of parents in the most affluent households said they felt involved, compared with 46% of those in the poorest households.

Regionally, London recorded the highest proportion of parents who felt involved, at 76%, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded 54%.

Despite this, most parents said they would like to play a bigger role. Some 85% said they wanted to be more involved with their child’s school.

Time is the biggest barrier for parents

Not having enough time was the most commonly reported barrier, with 44% of parents saying this made it harder to get involved.

A further 21% said they had not been asked to help, while 13% were unsure what skills or knowledge they could offer.

Almost half (48%) of parents said they would like to spend more time supporting their child’s learning at home. Meanwhile, 43% said they were happy with the amount of time they currently spend on home learning.

However, almost one in five parents (19%) said their school did not provide clear information about what they should be doing to support learning at home.

Overall, 60% said they received clear information from their school. This rose to 67% among primary school parents but fell to 55% among secondary school parents.

School communication has also fallen

The survey found a drop in the number of parents who felt their child’s school communicated well with them.

In 2026, 65% said their school communicated well with parents, compared with 71% in 2023.

Only 40% said their child’s school acted on parents’ views and feedback, down from 47% in 2023.

Parentkind also found a gap between how parents viewed schools and the Government when it came to listening to their views. While 53% said their school listened to parents, just 14% said the Government listened to parents when making decisions about education.

The proportion saying the Government listened to them was unchanged from 2023.

Cost is stopping some children from taking part

The survey also highlights the financial pressures families face when it comes to school and activities.

Almost a quarter of parents (23%) said they had struggled to pay school costs, while three in 10 said they had cut back elsewhere to cover them.

The impact was greater among families in the poorest households. Almost half (47%) said they had struggled with school costs, while half had cut back elsewhere.

School trips are another area where cost can affect children’s experiences. More than a third of children (38%) did not go on a school trip in the last year, with 16% of parents saying cost was the reason.

A quarter of children miss out on enrichment

Outside the classroom, 45% of children spent up to an hour a week attending school clubs, but a quarter did not take part in any enrichment activities.

Cost was the biggest reported barrier, with three in 10 parents saying it stopped their child doing more. A fifth said their child was already too busy with other activities.

There is also a gap between the clubs parents would like schools to provide and those currently available.

More than a third (35%) wanted their child’s school to offer coding, technology and science clubs, but only 22% said their school offered them.

Swimming was another area where there was a difference, with 32% wanting schools to offer swimming lessons compared with 19% saying their school did so.

What Parentkind says should happen next

Parentkind says the findings show that many parents want to be more involved but face practical barriers to doing so.

The organisation said it would “continue to work with the Department for Education to call for every school to have a lead for parental engagement”.

Parentkind also highlighted its Parent-Friendly Schools accreditation, which it says provides schools with a framework for improving relationships with parents.

For families, the findings underline a familiar challenge: wanting to support children’s education while juggling work, family life and the rising costs associated with school and activities.

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All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 6053 parents. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th March - 28th April 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK parents (aged 18+).

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