Parent, pupil and learner voice: December 2024
Updated 29 May 2025
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parent-pupil-and-learner-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/parent-pupil-and-learner-voice-december-2024
Introduction
The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned Verian (formerly known as Kantar Public) to recruit and maintain a panel of Parents, Pupils and Learners in England, known as the Parent, Pupil and Learner Voice (PPLV). The PPLV is designed to collect robust evidence to help DfE understand the perspectives of parents, carers, pupils and learners. This allows us to make more effective policy.
The PPLV works as a series of short surveys across the academic year, covering a range of new and longstanding policy issues. This report is about the findings from the December 2024 survey wave of the PPLV.
Methodology
The PPLV survey is answered by secondary school pupils (years 7 to 13), learners in further education (years 12 and 13) and parents of primary, secondary and special school pupils (years 1 to 11) who have agreed to participate in short, regular research surveys on topical education issues. We select parents and pupils randomly using records from the National Pupil Database (NPD) and invite them to take part in an online survey. For the first survey of the academic year, we send invitation letters to households. For other surveys in that same academic year, we send the invitation by email and text message to the parents and pupils who agreed to join the panel in the first survey.
Midway through the academic year, we randomly select pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 and invite them to join the panel in the same way. We select learners (those studying in a college setting) from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and we select pupils (those studying in a school setting) from the NPD.
We ran a survey between 11 December and 17 December. The respondents were:
| Audience | Responses |
|---|---|
| Primary school parents | 761 |
| Secondary school parents | 1009 |
| Special school parents | 489 |
| Secondary school pupils | 1348 |
Questions with fewer than 30 responses (before weighting) are not included in this report. Complete findings can be found in the published data tables, which include more detail on how different groups answered each question.
The report makes some comparisons to previous surveys conducted in previous academic years, for example the Parent, Pupil and Learner Panel Omnibus surveys for 2023 to 2024. These comparisons are helpful to understand how trends may be changing. However, the survey methodology changes over time and so comparisons to previous years are not as reliable as survey findings within each academic year. We introduced parents of pupils attending special schools in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, so any comparisons from previous academic years do not include these audiences.
In this report, we round figures to the nearest whole number. We do not describe 0% and 100% as ‘none’ and ‘all’ because figure rounding may mean this is not accurate. For instance, 100% may be 99.6% of respondents, rounded to the nearest whole number. Unless otherwise stated, when we refer to the ‘average’ we are reporting the arithmetic mean.
Further information on the survey methodology is available in the accompanying technical report.
Topics covered in this survey
The survey included questions about:
- extra-curricular activities
- inclusive mainstream
- breakfast clubs
- perceptions of fairness in society
- financial education
- assessment and accountability
- generative artificial intelligence (AI)
- school belonging
- family support hubs
- energy drinks
- antimicrobial resistance
- organ donation
- school belonging
- pupil behaviour
Extra-curricular activities
We asked secondary school pupils which type of extra-curricular activities they had taken part in in school.
Figure 1: Extra-curricular activities pupils have taken part in this academic year
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sports and physical activities | 49% |
| Performing arts | 21% |
| Clubs relating to an academic subject, not homework or revision sessions | 15% |
| Creative arts | 13% |
| Hobby and interest clubs | 12% |
| Volunteering | 11% |
| Other activities | 9% |
| Uniform groups | 6% |
| Community or diversity clubs | 4% |
| None of these | 28% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “extracurricular_takenpart”.
We also asked parents of primary, secondary and special school pupils the same question.
Figure 2: Extra-curricular activities pupils have taken part in this academic year according to parents
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sports and physical activities | 49% |
| Performing arts | 23% |
| Creative arts | 14% |
| Hobby and interest clubs | 12% |
| Clubs relating to an academic subject | 10% |
| Volunteering | 8% |
| Uniform groups | 8% |
| Other activities | 7% |
| Community or diversity clubs | 2% |
| None of these | 29% |
Base: Parents of primary, secondary and special school pupils (n = 2259). Data table reference = “extracurricular_takenpart”.
Inclusive mainstream
We asked all secondary school pupils how often they felt included at their school since the start of this school year (September 2024).
Figure 3: How often pupils felt included at school since September 2024, by pupil key stage
| SEND status | All the time | Most of the time | Some of the time | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils without SEND | 30% | 48% | 19% | 1% | 2% | 100% |
| Pupils with SEND | 27% | 30% | 33% | 5% | 5% | 100% |
Base: All secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “inclusivemainstream_included”.
We asked parents the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that their child’s school is an inclusive environment for pupils regardless of their background or differences.
Figure 4: Extent parents agreed or disagreed that their child’s school is an inclusive environment
| Phase | Strongly agree | Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 54% | 35% | 7% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 100% |
| Secondary | 32% | 46% | 14% | 5% | 1% | 2% | 100% |
| Special | 65% | 24% | 5% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “inclusivemainstream_environment”.
We asked pupils what would make them feel included at school.
Figure 5: Factors pupils said that would make them feel included at school
| Response | Pupils without SEND | Pupils with SEND |
|---|---|---|
| Other pupils accepting me as I am | 63% | 52% |
| Having positive relationships with teachers and other staff | 59% | 52% |
| Getting the support I need in lessons | 51% | 55% |
| Being able to learn things that fit my abilities and interests | 48% | 43% |
| My views being listened to at school | 41% | 39% |
| Getting the support I need to take part in all class activities | 33% | 35% |
| The school teaching about the importance of school being an inclusive environment for pupils regardless of background or differences | 28% | 26% |
| Getting the support I need to take part in all other activities (outside of classes) | 23% | 23% |
| Other | 9% | 6% |
| Don’t know | 7% | 13% |
Base: All pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “inclusivemainstream_feelincluded”.
We also asked parents a similar question, asking them what they thought made their child feel included at school.
Figure 6: Factors that parents said would make their child feel included at school
| Response | Primary | Special | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive relationships between pupils and staff | 83% | 80% | 67% |
| Getting the support they need in lessons | 65% | 77% | 57% |
| Getting the support they need to take part in all class activities | 54% | 70% | 38% |
| Other pupils accepting them as they are | 67% | 61% | 64% |
| Having a broad curriculum that suits their abilities and interests | 47% | 53% | 40% |
| The school teaching about the importance of diversity and inclusion | 48% | 39% | 35% |
| Getting the support they need to take part in all other activities (such as extra-curricular or whole school activities) | 41% | 45% | 32% |
| Opportunities to be involved in decision-making at school and being listened to | 44% | 44% | 32% |
| Other | 2% | 5% | 3% |
| Don’t know | 3% | 5% | 9% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “inclusivemainstream_feelincluded”.
Breakfast clubs
We asked all primary and special school parents what childcare provision their child’s school offers.
Figure 7: Childcare provided by schools
| Response | Primary | Special |
|---|---|---|
| Before-school childcare | 68% | 7% |
| After-school childcare | 64% | 6% |
| Neither | 17% | 57% |
| Don’t know | 11% | 33% |
Base: All primary and special school parents (n = 1250). Data table reference = “childcare_offer”.
We asked parents who said that their school offered before school childcare what factors they considered the most important for it to be considered high-quality provision.
Figure 8: Most important factors of high-quality before school childcare
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| My child finds the childcare enjoyable and want to attend | 47% |
| A variety of food options are available | 43% |
| A variety of enriching activities are available | 42% |
| The staff have recognised qualifications to care for children | 35% |
| The staff have a strong rapport with children | 32% |
| The premises are accessible and suitable for children | 29% |
| A variety of resources are available for children | 25% |
| Other | 1% |
| Don’t know | 9% |
Base: All primary and special school parents who said that their school offered before school childcare (n = 537). Data table reference = “breakfast_important”.
We asked parents who said their child’s school offered before-school childcare if this provision included breakfast. A majority (83%) said it did include breakfast, while 4% said it did not. The remaining 14% said that they did not know.
We asked the parents who said that their child’s school before-school childcare provided breakfast, if their child had attended the breakfast provision offered by the school this academic year. A minority (37%) said their child had and the majority (62%) said their child had not. The remaining 1% said that they did not know.
For parents who said that their child had attended the breakfast provision this academic year, we asked why they had attended.
Figure 9: Why pupils have attended a breakfast provision offered by their school this academic year
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| It enables me to work the hours I need, or pursue studies or work-related training | 84% |
| It allows my child to socialise with peers before school | 23% |
| It helps my child get settled and feel ready to learn | 14% |
| It helps my child to take part in enriching activities which benefit their wellbeing | 13% |
| An earlier start to the school day helps my child to be on time for lessons | 11% |
| It removes my worry about my child not having breakfast before school | 11% |
| It encourages my child to attend school | 8% |
| It reduces pressures on the family budget | 3% |
| Other | 9% |
Base: All primary and special school parents who said their child attends breakfast provision provided by their school (n = 432). Data table reference = “breakfast_why”.
We also asked the parents who said that their child had not attended this academic year the breakfast provision provided by their school why this was.
Figure 10: Why pupils have not attended a breakfast provision offered by their school this academic year
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| I do not need or want before school childcare for my child | 87% |
| The cost of the breakfast is too high | 8% |
| My child does not want to have breakfast at school | 7% |
| It is too early or I cannot get them to school in time for breakfast | 6% |
| My child has dietary requirements or allergies and I prefer to feed them at home | 2% |
| The food options available are not satisfactory | 1% |
| Their school is unable to offer my child a place | 1% |
| Other | 8% |
Base: All primary and special school parents who said that their child had not attended the breakfast provision provided by their school. “Prefer not to say” is not charted here. (n = 261). Data table reference = “breakfast_whynot”.
Perceptions of fairness in society
We asked primary and secondary parents the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with two statements about fairness in society.
Figure 11: Parent perceptions of fairness in society
| Statement | Strongly agree | Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them | 34% | 39% | 12% | 10% | 4% | 1% | 100% |
| A person’s background is the biggest influence on outcomes in life | 14% | 32% | 28% | 18% | 6% | 2% | 100% |
Base: Primary and secondary school parents (n = 1770). Data table reference = “lifestyle_fair”, “lifestyle_background”.
We also asked these questions to secondary school pupils in September 2024 report.
The majority (73%) of parents agreed or strongly agreed that everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them. A minority (46%) agreed or strongly agreed that a person’s background is the biggest influence on outcomes in life.
Financial education
We asked all primary parents which topics about managing money would they most like their child to be taught more about in school.
Figure 12: Topics primary parents would like their child to learn about related to money
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| How to make choices about their money (such as spending and saving) | 88% |
| How money is used (such as essential and non-essential costs) | 79% |
| Where money comes from (such as allowance, salary, gifts) | 75% |
| The benefits of saving money | 73% |
| How to keep money safe | 61% |
| Other | 3% |
| Don’t know | 2% |
Base: All primary parents (n = 761). Data table reference = “financialeducation_topics”.
We then asked pupils which topics they would most like to learn more about if they were going to learn about money in school.
Figure 13: Topics related to money pupils would like to learn more about
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Bank accounts | 56% |
| Finance related to work | 53% |
| Making choices about spending | 52% |
| Money risks and how to avoid them | 49% |
| How borrowing works | 45% |
| Where to get help or advice about money | 29% |
| None of these | 5% |
| Something else | 4% |
| Don’t know | 7% |
Base: All secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “financialeducation_knowmore”.
We asked pupils what topics related to money they’ve learned about in school since starting secondary school.
Figure 14: Topics related to money that pupils have learnt about in school, by key stage
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Money risks and how to avoid them | 31% | 40% |
| Making choices about spending | 31% | 29% |
| Finance related to work | 15% | 25% |
| Bank accounts | 19% | 21% |
| How borrowing works | 15% | 20% |
| Where to get help or advice about money | 14% | 15% |
| Something else | 5% | 5% |
| None of these | 39% | 33% |
| Don’t know | 12% | 6% |
Base: All secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “financialeducation_learnt”.
Assessment and accountability
We asked parents of secondary school pupils questions whether current attainment and examination approaches and attainment measures informed their decision-making about choosing a secondary school.
We asked secondary school parents if, prior to the survey, they had heard of ‘Attainment 8’, and ‘Progress 8’.
Figure 15: Parent awareness of ‘Attainment 8’ and ‘Progress 8’ before starting the survey
| Progress measure | Knew a lot about it | Knew a little about it | Had only heard the name | Had not heard of it | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 9% | 23% | 10% | 55% | 4% | 100% |
| Progress 8 | 7% | 19% | 10% | 60% | 3% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school parents (n = 1009). Data table reference = “assessment_attainment”, “assessment_progress”.
We asked secondary school parents if they had heard of the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) before taking the survey.
Figure 16: Parent awareness of English Baccalaureate
| Audience | Knew a lot about it | Knew a little about it | Had only heard the name | Had not heard of it | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary school parents | 10% | 28% | 14% | 43% | 4% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school parents (n = 1009). Data table reference = “assessment_english”.
We also asked parents of pupils in key stage 3 how useful they thought the results from key stage 2 SATs were in informing them of their child’s progress.
Figure 17: Usefulness of key stage 2 SATs test of informing parents of child’s progress, according to key stage 3 parents
| Audience | Very useful | Fairly useful | Not very useful | Not useful at all | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 parents | 16% | 38% | 25% | 18% | 4% | 100% |
Base: Parents of pupils in key stage 3 (n = 658). Data table reference = “assessment_useful”.
We asked parents of secondary school pupils in key stage 4 the extent they agreed or disagreed that end of course exams and modular exams fairly assess the skills and knowledge pupils and learners have gained in their key stage 4 studies.
Figure 18: The extent that parents agreed or disagreed that end of course exams and modular exams fairly assess the skills and knowledge pupils and learners have gained in their key stage 4 studies
| Assessment | Strongly agree | Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of course exam | 4% | 49% | 21% | 14% | 8% | 5% | 100% |
| Modular exams | 16% | 55% | 18% | 2% | 4% | 4% | 100% |
Base: Parents of key stage 4 pupils (n = 351). Data table reference = “assessment_ks4”, “assessment_modular”.
Finally, we asked secondary school parents which factors they considered when choosing a preferred secondary school for their child.
Figure 19: Factors parents considered when choosing secondary schools
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Easy to travel to (close to home or convenient to get to by chosen mode of transport) | 55% |
| Child’s siblings attend the same school | 34% |
| School performance measures (such as Attainment 8, Progress 8, and the English Baccalaureate) | 33% |
| Ofsted inspection reports | 33% |
| School values and ethos | 29% |
| Recommendation from others | 28% |
| Good provision of sports, arts or other enrichment activities | 13% |
| The school has a sixth-form | 9% |
| Good provision for special educational needs | 9% |
| Good provision for disadvantaged learners | 2% |
| None | 2% |
| Other | 8% |
Base: Secondary school parents (n = 1009). Data table reference = “assessment_secondary”.
A minority of secondary school parents (33%) said that they considered school performance measures when choosing secondary schools.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
We asked parents and pupils a series of questions relating to the use of AI tools in education. We defined generative AI as technology that uses learning algorithms to produce content that can include audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos.
We first asked pupils whether they had used AI tools.
Figure 20: Whether secondary school pupils use AI tools
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Yes – in school lessons | 10% | 6% |
| Yes – for homework | 14% | 25% |
| Yes – for both school lessons and homework | 5% | 11% |
| Yes – but not for school work | 36% | 39% |
| I had not heard of AI tools before this survey | 3% | 1% |
| Don’t know | 4% | 2% |
| No | 27% | 16% |
Base: All pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “ai_use”.
A majority of key stage 3 (66%) and key stage 4 (81%) pupils said they had used AI tools, with a minority of key stage 3 (29%) and key stage 4 (42%) pupils saying they had used it for school work. A higher proportion of pupils said they had used AI tools than when we last asked this question in February 2024, when 50% of key stage 3 and 65% of key stage 4 pupils said they had used AI tools. A higher proportion of pupils said they had used AI for school work when we last asked this question in February 2024, when 18% of key stage 3 and 32% of key stage 4 pupils said they had used it for school work.
We asked pupils who said they had used AI tools for school work how often they use these tools to complete school work (including homework).
Figure 21: How often pupils use AI tools to complete school work
| Audience | Every day | At least once a week | At least once a month | At least once a term | At least once a year | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary school pupils | 11% | 23% | 25% | 14% | 11% | 15% | 100% |
Base: Pupils who said they had used AI tools for school work (n = 437). Data table reference = “ai_often”.
We asked parents how they felt about AI tools being used by their child for their school work.
Figure 22: Parents view on their child using AI tools for school work
| Audience | Very positive | Somewhat positive | Neither positive nor negative | Somewhat negative | Very negative | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parents | 9% | 20% | 25% | 22% | 16% | 8% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “ai_feel”.
A minority (29%) of parents said they felt positive or somewhat positive about their child using AI tools for school works, and a higher proportion (38%) said they felt negative or somewhat negative about it.
We asked parents a series of questions on how they felt about teachers using AI tools for different activities.
Figure 23: Parents perception of teachers using AI tools for different aspects of their work
| Activity | Very positive | Somewhat positive | Neither positive nor negative | Somewhat negative | Very negative | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning, creating or delivering lessons or curriculum content | 14% | 27% | 31% | 14% | 7% | 6% | 100% |
| Assessments, marking and feedback | 10% | 21% | 24% | 23% | 17% | 5% | 100% |
| Homework support or personalised tutoring | 11% | 25% | 28% | 19% | 11% | 6% | 100% |
| Career support | 14% | 31% | 32% | 10% | 7% | 6% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “ai_lessons”, “ai_marking”, “ai_support”. All parents excluding not applicable responses (n = 1909). Data table reference = “ai_admin”.
Family support hubs
We asked parents if they had heard of family hubs before taking the survey.
Figure 24: Parent awareness of family hubs
| Phase | Knew a lot about it | Knew a little about it | Had only heard the name | Had not heard of it | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 12% | 30% | 18% | 36% | 3% | 100% |
| Secondary | 11% | 27% | 18% | 41% | 4% | 100% |
| Special | 11% | 32% | 16% | 38% | 3% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “familysupporthubs_aware”.
We asked parents who said they had heard of family hubs how they had found out about them.
Figure 25: Ways parents found out about family hubs
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Communications from a nursery, school, or college | 29% |
| Through a health service (such as GP, health visitor and midwife) | 27% |
| Online (such as social media, local council website and charity website) | 23% |
| Through current or past work | 20% |
| A friend or family member | 16% |
| Other | 9% |
| Don’t know | 8% |
Base: Parents who said they had heard of family hubs (n = 1368). Data table reference = “familysupporthubs_findout”.
We asked parents who had heard of family hubs which services, if any, they had accessed in the last 12 months through a family hub.
Figure 26: Services accessed through family hubs in the last 12 months
| Response | Primary | Secondary | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEND support | 17% | 11% | 26% |
| Early years education and health services | 20% | 9% | 12% |
| Healthcare services including mental health and wellbeing support | 8% | 7% | 11% |
| Parenting or relationship support | 6% | 5% | 8% |
| Practical support | 3% | 2% | 7% |
| I have not accessed any of these services | 61% | 71% | 60% |
| Other | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| Don’t know | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Base: Parents who said they had heard of family hubs (n = 1368). Data table reference = “familysupporthubs_access”.
We asked parents who said they had accessed services through a family hub in the last 12 months how they would rate their experience of accessing the services.
Figure 27: How parents rated their experiences of using family hubs
| Audience | Very good | Good | Neither good or bad | Bad | Very bad | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parents who had accessed family hubs in the last 12 months | 31% | 46% | 18% | 4% | 1% | 100% |
Base: Parents who said they had accessed services through a family hub (n = 505). Data table reference = “familysupporthubs_rate”.
We asked parents who said they had not accessed services through a family hub in the last 12 months why this was. The majority (70%) said it was because they did not need to access its services.
High-caffeine energy drinks
We asked secondary school pupils how often they drink high-caffeine energy drinks.
Figure 28: How often pupils drink high-caffeine energy drinks, by pupil key stage
| Key stage | Daily/most days | At least once a week | At least once a month | Less often | Never | Prefer not to say | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 3% | 8% | 11% | 18% | 59% | 1% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 7% | 17% | 15% | 18% | 43% | 1% | 100% |
Base: All pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “energydrinks_often”.
For pupils who said they drink high caffeine energy drinks, we asked when they last drank one.
Figure 29: When pupils last drank a high-caffeine energy drink
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Within the last 7 days | 26% | 49% |
| Within the last month | 26% | 14% |
| More than a month ago | 25% | 21% |
| Don’t remember | 21% | 14% |
| Prefer not to say | 1% | 1% |
Base: Secondary school pupils who said they drink high caffeine energy drinks (n = 711). Data table reference = “energydrinks_lastdrink”.
We asked pupils who said they drink a high-caffeine energy drink daily, most days or at least once a week how many of these drinks they had consumed over the last week.
Figure 30: How many high-caffeine energy drinks pupils who drink high-caffeine energy drinks at least weekly have consumed in the last week
| Key stage | None | 1-3 | 4-7 | 8-10 | 11+ | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 29% | 52% | 15% | 0% | 1% | 4% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 9% | 71% | 6% | 1% | 9% | 3% | 100% |
Base: Pupils who drink a high-caffeine energy drink daily, most days or at least once a week (n = 278). Data table reference = “energydrinks_consumedweek”.
We asked pupils who said they drink high-caffeine energy drinks at least once a month or less often how many of these drinks they had consumed over the last month.
Figure 31: How many high-caffeine energy drinks pupils who drink high-caffeine energy drinks monthly or less often have consumed in the last month
| Key stage | None | 1-3 | 4-7 | 8-10 | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 31% | 49% | 15% | 0% | 5% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 39% | 44% | 5% | 2% | 10% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils who said they drink high caffeine energy drinks at least once a month or less (n = 433). Data table reference = “energydrinks_consumedmonth”.
We asked pupils who said they drink high-caffeine energy drinks whether they prefer diet or low sugar high-caffeine energy drinks, or whether they prefer non-diet high-caffeine energy drinks. The most common response was having no preference between diet or non-diet high-caffeine energy drinks (40%), followed by preferring diet high-caffeine energy drinks (30%). A minority said that they prefer non-diet high-caffeine energy drinks (11%), and the remaining 18% said that they did not know.
We asked pupils who said they drink high-caffeine energy drinks where they usually get these drinks.
Figure 32: Where pupils get high-caffeine energy drinks
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| I buy them myself | 34% | 61% |
| I get them from home | 28% | 11% |
| I am given them by friends or relatives | 17% | 15% |
| Prefer not to say | 20% | 13% |
Base: Secondary school pupils who said they drink high caffeine energy drinks (n = 711). Data table reference = “energydrinks_buy”.
We asked all secondary school pupils how easy they thought it was for people their age to buy high caffeine energy drinks.
Figure 33: Ease of buying high-caffeine energy drinks
| Key stage | Very easy | Fairly easy | Not very easy | Not easy at all | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 25% | 37% | 12% | 6% | 21% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 40% | 42% | 8% | 1% | 9% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “energydrinks_easy”.
We asked primary and secondary school parents if their child ever drinks high-caffeine energy drinks that they are aware of. Almost all primary school parents (97%) and the majority of secondary school parents (84%) said their child did not drink high-caffeine energy drinks that they are aware of.
We asked primary and secondary parents who said their child drinks high-caffeine energy drinks how their child usually gets them.
Figure 34: How children get high-caffeine energy drinks according to parents
| Response | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| They get them from home | 72% | 28% |
| They buy them with their own pocket money | 12% | 45% |
| They buy them with money for their school lunch | 9% | 0% |
| They are given them by friends | 0% | 9% |
| Other | 6% | 12% |
| Don’t know | 0% | 5% |
Base: Primary and secondary parents whose child drinks high-caffeine energy drinks (n = 174). Data table reference = “energydrinks_buy”.
We asked primary and secondary school parents how concerned they were (if at all) about the potential negative effects of high-caffeine energy drinks on children like their child.
Figure 35: Parents’ concerns about the potential negative effects of high-caffeine energy drinks on children like their child
| Phase | Very concerned | Somewhat concerned | Not very concerned | Not at all concerned | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 56% | 27% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 100% |
| Secondary | 45% | 35% | 9% | 9% | 2% | 100% |
Base: Primary and secondary school parents (n = 1770). Data table reference = “energydrinks_concern”.
We asked parents who said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about the potential negative impacts of high-caffeine energy drinks on children like their child what potential negative impacts they are concerned about.
Figure 36: Negative impacts of high-caffeine energy drinks parents are concerned about
| Response | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Has a negative impact on their teeth | 82% | 73% |
| Makes it difficult for them to manage their behaviour | 79% | 63% |
| Prevents them from getting a good night’s sleep | 79% | 73% |
| Makes it difficult for them to manage their energy levels | 76% | 60% |
| It has a negative impact on their mood, anxiety or mental health | 75% | 70% |
| Impacts their concentration levels in school | 75% | 61% |
| Proper meals being replaced by an energy drink | 51% | 44% |
| Other | 3% | 4% |
Base: Parents who said they were very concerned and somewhat concerned about the potential negative impacts of high-caffeine energy drinks on their child (n = 1389). Data table reference = “energydrinks_areasofconcern”.
Antimicrobial resistance
We asked secondary school pupils if, before taking the survey, they knew about antimicrobial resistance.
Figure 37: Whether pupils know about antimicrobial resistance
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Yes – and I know a lot about it | 4% | 12% |
| Yes – and I know a little about it | 15% | 24% |
| Yes – but I have only heard the name | 9% | 11% |
| No – I have never heard of antimicrobial resistance | 71% | 53% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “antimicrobial_know”.
We asked pupils who said they knew about antimicrobial resistance whether they had learned about this in school. Forty per cent said they had and 39% said they had not. The remaining 21% said they did not know.
Organ donation
We asked secondary school pupils who were happy to answer questions on this topic whether, before taking the survey, they knew about organ and blood donation.
Figure 38: Whether pupils know about organ and blood donation
| Response | Key stage 3 | Key stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Yes – and I know a lot about it | 28% | 33% |
| Yes – and I know a little about it | 51% | 60% |
| Yes – but I have only heard the name | 15% | 6% |
| No – I have never heard of organ or blood donation | 7% | 2% |
Base: Secondary school pupils who were happy to answer questions on organ donation (n = 1218). Data table reference = “organdonation_know”
We asked pupils who said they knew about organ and blood donation if since the start of secondary school they had learned about organ and blood donation at school. Twenty-three per cent said they had and 60% said they had not. The remaining 17% said they did not know.
School belonging
We asked secondary school pupils how often they enjoyed going to school in the last week of term.
Figure 39: How often pupils said they enjoyed going to school in the previous week of term
| Key stage | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 21% | 37% | 31% | 10% | 1% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 7% | 31% | 45% | 16% | 1% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “belonging_enjoy”.
When we last asked this question in May 2024, a lower proportion of key stage 3 (49%) and a higher proportion of key stage 4 pupils (48%) said they enjoyed going to school every day or most days in the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a lower proportion of key stage 3 (49%) and a similar proportion of key stage 4 pupils (40%) said they enjoyed going to school every day or most days in the previous week of term.
We also asked parents a similar question, asking how often the they thought their child enjoyed going to school over the previous week of term.
Figure 40: How often parents said their child enjoyed going to school in the previous week of term
| Phase | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 48% | 36% | 14% | 2% | 0% | 100% |
| Secondary | 30% | 42% | 22% | 7% | 0% | 100% |
| Special | 46% | 33% | 15% | 5% | 1% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “belonging_enjoy”.
When we previously asked this question in May 2024, a similar proportion of primary school parents (83%), and a lower proportion of secondary (64%) and special school parents (74%), said that their child enjoyed going to school every day or most days of the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a similar proportion of primary (87%), secondary (70%) and special school parents (78%) said that their child enjoyed going to school every day or most days in the previous week of term.
We asked secondary school pupils how often they felt safe at school over the previous week of term.
Figure 41: How often pupils felt safe at school in the previous week of term
| Key stage | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 47% | 34% | 13% | 3% | 2% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 43% | 37% | 15% | 4% | 1% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “belonging_safe”.
A higher proportion of pupils said they felt safe at school than when we previously asked this question in May 2024, when 72% of key stage 3 and 73% of key stage 4 pupils said they felt safe at school every day or most days of the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a similar proportion of pupils said they felt safe, when 81% of key stage 3 and 82% of key stage 4 pupils reported feeling safe at school every day or most days of the previous week.
We asked parents a similar question, asking how often they thought their child felt safe at school over the previous week of term.
Figure 42: How often parents said their child felt safe at school in the previous week of term
| Phase | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 71% | 24% | 4% | 0% | 1% | 100% |
| Secondary | 55% | 31% | 9% | 3% | 2% | 100% |
| Special | 56% | 25% | 8% | 3% | 8% | 100% |
Base: All parents (n = 2259). Data table reference = “belonging_safe”.
A similar proportion of parents said their child felt safe at school to when we previously asked this question in May 2024, when 93% of primary, 85% of secondary and 82% of special school parents said that their child felt safe at school every day or most days of the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a similar proportion of parents said their child felt safe at school, when 93% of primary, 86% of secondary and 84% of special schools said their child felt safe at school every day or most days of the previous week.
We asked secondary school pupils how often they felt like they belong at school in the previous week of term.
Figure 43: How often pupils felt they belonged at school in the previous week of term
| Key stage | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 44% | 32% | 17% | 5% | 2% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 30% | 35% | 22% | 10% | 3% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “belonging_belong”.
A higher proportion of pupils said they felt they belonged at school than when we previously asked this question in May 2024, when 58% of key stage 3 and 55% of key stage 4 pupils said they felt like they belong at school every day or most days over the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a lower proportion of pupils said they felt they belonged at school when 69% of key stage 3 and 61% of key stage 4 pupils said they felt like they belong at school every day or most days over the previous week.
Pupil behaviour
We asked secondary school pupils to rate the behaviour of pupils at their school over the last week of term.
Figure 44: Pupil rating of behaviour in the last week of term
| Key stage | Very good | Good | Neither good nor poor | Poor | Very poor | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 12% | 31% | 33% | 17% | 5% | 2% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 6% | 33% | 38% | 14% | 7% | 1% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “behaviour_rating”.
A minority of key stage 3 (44%) and key stage 4 (39%) pupils rated behaviour as good or very good in the previous week of term.
A lower proportion of key stage 3 pupils and a similar proportion of key stage 4 pupils said this compared to when we last asked this question in May 2024, when 38% of key stage 3 and 40% of key stage 4 pupils rated behaviour as good or very good in the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a similar proportion key stage 3 pupils (42%) and a higher proportion of key stage 4 pupils (44%), rated behaviour as good or very good.
We asked pupils how often they felt their school had been calm and orderly over the last week of term.
Figure 45: How often pupils felt their school had been calm and orderly in the last week of term
| Key stage | Every day | Most days | Some days | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 9% | 40% | 36% | 14% | 1% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 8% | 40% | 38% | 13% | 2% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “behaviour_calm”.
Around half of key stage 3 (49%) and key stage 4 pupils (48%) said that their school had been calm and orderly every day or most days in the previous week of term.
A lower proportion of pupils said that their school had been calm and orderly every day or most days compared to when we last asked this question in May 2024, when 54% of key stage 3 and 53% of key stage 4 pupils said that their school had been calm and orderly every day or most days in the previous week of term.
In December 2023, a higher proportion key stage 3 pupils (57%) and key stage 4 pupils (57%), said that their school had been calm and orderly every day or most days.
We asked pupils how often misbehaviour of other pupils interrupted the lesson or stopped them doing their work in the last week of term.
Figure 46: How often misbehaviour of other pupils interrupted the lesson or stopped them doing their work in the last week of term
| Key stage | All lessons | Most lessons | Some lessons | Rarely | Never | Don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key stage 3 | 5% | 24% | 40% | 24% | 5% | 3% | 100% |
| Key stage 4 | 4% | 19% | 41% | 28% | 6% | 3% | 100% |
Base: Secondary school pupils (n = 1348). Data table reference = “behaviour_interrupt”.
A majority of key stage 3 (69%) and key stage 4 pupils (63%) pupils said that misbehaviour had interrupted all, most or some lessons in the previous week of term.
A higher proportion of pupils said that there had been interruption in all, most or some lessons due to pupil behaviour in the previous week of term when we last asked this question in May 2024, when 77% of key stage 3 and 73% of key stage 4 pupils said there had been interruption in their lessons.
In December 2023, a lower proportion key stage 3 pupils (67%) and a similar proportion of key stage 4 pupils (61%), said there had been interruption in lessons due to pupil behaviour.
Glossary of terms
Attainment 8: A way of measuring how well pupils do in key stage 4, which they usually finish at the end of year 11. It adds up pupils’ grades for 8 GCSE subjects, including English and maths, to make an overall score.
English Baccalaureate (Ebacc): A set of subjects at GCSE that comprise: English language and literature, maths, the sciences, geography or history, and a language.
Individualised Learner Record (ILR): The primary data collection about further education and work-based learning in England. It is requested from learning providers in England’s further education system.
Modular exams: Exams spread across the course. They assess the learner at the end of each module, rather than at the end of the whole course. The final grade is made up of the results from each module.
National Pupil Database (NPD): A register data set of all pupils in state schools in England, compiled by DfE. It contains attainment data as children progress through school, as well as information on pupil background, absences and exclusions from school.
Progress 8: A way of measuring how much progress a pupil has made at the end of their GCSEs, compared to earlier in their studies. It compares the attainment in key subject at GCSEs to attainment for the same or similar subjects at the end of key stage 2 (year 6).
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND): A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
- have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age
- have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.
Some children and young people who have SEND may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘… a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision, they will also be covered by the SEND definition.
Special schools: Schools that provide an education for children with a special educational need or disability. Almost all pupils in special schools have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), which are plans for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.