National Parent Survey 2023 Results Released

The largest survey of its kind, the National Parent Survey provides educators and policy makers, at every level of government, with unique insight into the views of parents.

Parentkind commissioned YouGov to survey 5,126 parents across the UK in June 2023 because research shows that parents who are listened to and supported help their children succeed in their education.

The National Parent Survey 2023 reveals that parents don’t feel listened to or supported, they are worried about their children’s anxiety and addiction to electronic devices.

Too many children don’t enjoy learning at school or their parents tell us their child doesn’t feel safe when they go to school. The cost-of-living crisis is also hitting parents hard with many parents, even those on middle incomes, telling us they are struggling to afford costs associated with sending their child to school.

This survey is full of data that should make us all sit up and think again about the barriers preventing children from succeeding in education and how we support parents.

Our hope is that the National Parent Survey will play an important part in ensuring that the voice of parents is heard.

See the report here.

Sector Response

Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“This is a frankly shocking report and Ministers should be thoroughly ashamed. Families are being clobbered by the cost of living crisis, we’re seeing a tidal wave of mental ill health among our young people, and too many of our children are either out of school or in school but not enjoying it.

“Only Labour has set out a clear plan to ensure high and rising standards go with a rich and rewarding curriculum. Only Labour has a clear plan to tackle the mental health crisis, with mental health professionals in every secondary school and support in every community. Only Labour can reset the broken relationships between schools, families, and government.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“These findings reflect the whole host of issues many parents and children are facing in their lives, with the pandemic and cost of living crisis following a decade in which government funding cuts saw councils forced to scale back non-statutory early intervention services for families.

“Schools see many of the effects of these challenges, which can inevitably impact learning, but it is not their core role to tackle them. They have also suffered years of real-term reductions in funding and even government initiatives like school mental health support teams still only offer support in certain areas of the country. Staff often find it difficult to access help for pupils from under-funded community services like social care and CAMHS due to barriers like high thresholds for support and long waiting lists.

“Sustained government investment in public services, as well as better financial support for families struggling to make ends meet, would go a long way to getting to the root cause of many of the concerns highlighted by this survey.”