The minimum cost of education in the UK
- The minimum cost of education parents in the UK must meet is now over £1,000 a year for a child at primary school and nearly £2,300 a year for a child at secondary school (based on 2024 costings).
- Since 2022, the cost of education has risen by 16 per cent for primary-aged learners and 30 per cent for secondary pupils, outstripping both inflation (8 per cent) and earnings growth (12 per cent) during the same period.
- The key drivers of these rises are the cost of food during the school day, an increased need for technology including devices and, for secondary school pupils, higher subject costs such as art and design materials.
- An inadequate social security system also means more children are living in poverty and families are increasingly struggling to meet the rising cost of education. The two-child limit policy, which is the biggest driver of rising child poverty, means families lose £3,513 per affected child.
- This growing gap between costs and income is making it harder for children from lower-income families to make the most of their time at school.
- The upcoming child poverty strategy must address this by urgently scrapping the two-child limit and providing more cost-specific support to families to help with the school day, such as expansions to free school meals and cash support with uniform costs.