School staff are on the front line in grappling with the challenges faced by pupils and their families brought about by the cost-of-living crisis. NFER has published the full report from our three-part series which draws on responses from over 2,500 senior leaders and teachers in mainstream and special schools in England [1] to understand the scale of the challenges which schools are facing and the impact these are having on them.
Our research highlights that without urgent action now, recent cost-of-living increases risk having far reaching and long-lasting impacts on pupils, particularly those who are most vulnerable, across both mainstream and special school settings.
The vast majority of senior leaders (at least 84 per cent across primary, secondary and special settings) report that cost-of-living pressures have increased both the numbers of pupils requiring additional support [2] and their level of need, especially in the most disadvantaged schools. Schools are particularly concerned about the escalation in the level of pupil wellbeing and mental health needs. As shown in Figure 1, senior leaders report that over a quarter of pupils in mainstream schools currently [3] require additional support for mental health and well-being, which is significantly higher than last year [4]. This is even higher in special schools, where over 40 per cent of pupils need additional support.
