Hundreds of governors say their schools are washing the uniforms of pupils to ensure they can come to class in clean clothes.
The worrying finding comes from a survey of more than 5,000 governors and trustees of schools and academy trusts carried out by Tes and the National Governance Association (NGA).
38 per cent of governors said their schools give financial support for purchasing school uniforms
7 per cent said they provide a food bank
5 per cent said they wash school uniforms
4 per cent provide meals outside of term time
2 per cent provide emergency loans
Emma Knights, chief executive of the NGA, said it was “shocking that we have got to the point where schools are having to help young people come to school in clean clothes”.
She added: “Because of the fact that other services and the welfare benefits system have been affected by a number of years of austerity, schools are having to pick up some of those pieces.
“I do think it is about other public services having suffered, and therefore families not having other places to turn.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said the government spent £2 million during the summer holiday to help provide thousands of children free activities and healthy meals during the summer break, with more pilots planned for 2019.
He added: “We are clear that schools should keep uniform costs to a minimum and be mindful that they are affordable for everyone.”
Workload
Two-thirds of governors (67 per cent) said workload was a problem in their schools, compared to just 22 per cent who said it was not.
43 per cent said workload was a problem and steps have been taken to reduce it, while 24 per cent said it was a problem, but steps had not yet been taken to reduce it.
The DfE said it was working with teachers, school leaders, Ofsted and the unions “to develop our recruitment and retention strategy and to strip away unnecessary workload”.
Sats and Progress 8
More primary governors (45 per cent) do not believe that key stage 2 Sats give an accurate picture of pupils’ abilities in England and maths than those that do (41 per cent).
A DfE spokesperson said that key stage 2 Sats “play a vital role in ensuring that children have been taught, and have acquired a sound knowledge of, the fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics which will enable them to go on and succeed at secondary school and in later life”.
Governors were more positive about Progress 8, with 47 per cent saying it was a fair measure of the progress pupils make, compared to 32 per cent who disagreed.
Lack of young governors
The survey has sparked concerns that school governors are not very representative of the wider population.
Although 17 per cent of the population of England is aged 30-39, only 9 per cent of governors in the survey were.
The NGA has a Young Governors’ Network that aims to support and encourage people under the age of 40 to govern.
Lack of ethnic diversity
The survey also highlighted the lack of ethnic diversity among school governors in England.
In the survey, 93 per cent of respondents said they were white, compared to 86 per cent of the population from the 2011 census, and 74 per cent of primary and secondary pupils in January 2018.
People who gave their ethnicity as black / African / Caribbean / black British made up 1 per cent of respondents, compared to 3 per cent of the population and 6 per cent of pupils.
And 2 per cent of respondents said they were Asian or Asian British, compared to 8 per cent of the population, and 12 per cent of pupils.
Want to keep reading for free?
Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.
