Research and analysis

Parent, pupil and learner voice: June 2025

Updated 27 November 2025

Applies to England

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 the Department for Education 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 June 2025 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.

Mid-way 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. In this report, pupils in years 12 and 13 are referred to as “post-16”, 16 to 19 pupils and learners”, or in charts as “16-19”.

We ran a survey between 26 June and 3 July 2025. The respondents were:

Audience	Responses
Primary school parents	952
Secondary school parents	1266
Special school parents	531
Post-16 school pupils	908
Secondary school pupils	1692

Questions with fewer than 30 responses (before weighting) are not included in this report, and base sizes of below 100 should be treated with caution. Complete findings are 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:

• extracurricular activities
• arts education
• reading
• behaviour
• mobile phones
• perceptions of fairness in society
• period products
• post-16 courses
• school lunches

Extracurricular activities

We asked secondary school pupils which extracurricular activities they had taken part in in or outside of school school since April 2025.

Figure 1: Extracurricular activities pupils have taken part in this term at school or college and outside school

Response	At school	Outside school
Sports and physical activities	39%	43%
Performing arts	17%	14%
Clubs relating to an academic subject, not homework or revision sessions	14%	8%
Volunteering	12%	12%
Creative arts	12%	8%
Hobby and interest clubs	11%	9%
Uniform groups	4%	9%
Community or diversity clubs	4%	4%
Other activities	7%	7%
None of these	37%	35%

Base: All pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 (n = 2600). Data table reference = “extracurricular_school” and “extracurricular_outsideschool”.

We also asked parents of primary, secondary and special school pupils which extracurricular activities their child had taken part in in or outside of school school since April 2025.

Figure 2: Extracurricular activities parents say pupils have taken part in this term at school or college and outside school

Response	At school	Outside school
Sports and physical activities	45%	57%
Performing arts	21%	18%
Clubs relating to an academic subject, not homework or revision sessions	11%	7%
Volunteering	8%	6%
Creative arts	14%	7%
Hobby and interest clubs	8%	7%
Uniform groups	3%	15%
Community or diversity clubs	3%	5%
Other activities	7%	6%
None of these	32%	25%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “extracurricular_school” and “extracurricular_outsideschool”.

We asked parents who said their child has taken part in extracurricular activities at school since April 2025 why their child takes part in extracurricular activities.

Figure 3: The reasons parents say pupils take part in extracurricular activities at school

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
My child likes the activity	91%	84%	85%
So my child can learn new things and or develop their skills	62%	45%	57%
To build my child’s confidence	61%	44%	58%
The activities are good for their physical health	60%	45%	53%
The activities are good for their mental health	48%	38%	51%
So my child can meet new people or spend time with friends	46%	43%	42%
The activities provide childcare before or after school	22%	4%	10%
The activities are more affordable than activities provided by other organisations	19%	10%	11%
Other	0%	3%	3%
Don’t know	0%	1%	2%

Base: Parents who said their child has taken part in extracurricular activities at school since April 2025 (n = 1602). Data table reference = “extracurricular_reasonstakepart”.

We asked parents who said their child has not taken part in extracurricular activities at school since April 2025 why this was.

Figure 4: The reasons parents say pupils have not taken part in extracurricular activities

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
My child does not want to take part in any extracurricular activities at school	28%	48%	24%
My child’s school does not offer activities which interest them	35%	20%	22%
My child attends extracurricular activities outside of school instead	33%	23%	9%
My child lacks the confidence to take part in these activities	7%	20%	10%
The activities on offer are not accessible for their specific needs	5%	2%	12%
The timings of the activities are not practical	9%	7%	11%
The activities on offer cost too much	7%	2%	2%
Other	24%	12%	35%
Don’t know	3%	4%	5%

Base: Parents who said their child has not taken part in extracurricular activities at school since April 2025 (n = 1147). Data table reference = “extracurricular_reasonsnot”.

Arts education

We asked secondary school pupils which art subjects they are studying.

Figure 5: Art subjects secondary school pupils are studying

Response	Percentage
Art & Design	50%
Design & technology	47%
Music	41%
Performing arts	38%
Another arts subject	3%
None of these	25%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “artseducation_subjects”.

We also asked parents of secondary and special school pupils whose child is in year 7 to 11 which art subjects their child is studying.

Figure 6: Art subjects that parents said their child was taking

Response	Secondary	Special
Art & design	46%	34%
Design & technology	46%	31%
Music	40%	30%
Performing arts	31%	14%
Another arts subject	2%	3%
Don’t know	4%	13%
None of these	25%	31%

Base: All secondary parents, and special parents whose child is in year 7 to 11 (n = 1573). Data table reference = “artseducation_subjects”.

We asked parents of primary, secondary and special school pupils if they knew of any extracurricular arts education opportunities at their child’s school.
Among primary school parents, 44% said ‘yes’, 44% said ‘no’, and 13% said they ‘did not know’.
Among secondary school parents, 43% said ‘yes’, 32% said ‘no’ and 25% said they ‘did not know’.
Among special school parents, 14% said ‘yes’, 58% said ‘no’ and 28% said they ‘did not know’.

We asked secondary school pupils where they would go to find out about any arts education opportunities, including related extracurricular activities, at their school.

Figure 7: Where secondary school pupils would go to find out about arts education opportunities and extracurricular activities at their school

Response	Percentage
Arts teachers	55%
Teachers, not including arts teachers	43%
Friends	32%
School website	23%
Family	21%
Searching online	18%
Social media	15%
School newsletter	14%
An out-of-school teacher or group	4%
My local Music Hub or service	2%
Through my Local Council	1%
Other	3%
Don’t know	9%
I don’t want to find out about any arts education opportunities at my school	9%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “artseducation_aware”.

We also asked parents where they would go to find out about any arts education opportunities, including related extracurricular activities, at their child’s school.

Figure 8: Where parents would go to find out about arts education opportunities and extracurricular activities at their child’s school

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
Their teachers	57%	45%	62%
School website	35%	52%	28%
School newsletter	51%	40%	26%
My friends or other parents at school	23%	14%	7%
One of their arts teachers	6%	21%	6%
Their friends	12%	15%	2%
Social media	10%	13%	11%
Searching online	10%	12%	10%
Through my local Council	2%	3%	4%
My local Music Hub or service	4%	2%	1%
An out-of-school teacher or group	4%	3%	2%
Other	2%	3%	3%
Don’t know	6%	11%	15%
I don’t want to find out about any arts education opportunities at my child’s school	3%	4%	5%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “artseducation_aware”.

We asked parents who knew of the available extracurricular arts education opportunities at their child’s school the extent they agree or disagree those opportunities meet their child’s needs.

Figure 9: Extent parents agree or disagree arts education opportunities at their child’s school meets their child’s needs

Phase	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Primary	11%	45%	26%	11%	3%	3%	100%
Secondary	26%	45%	20%	4%	1%	3%	100%
Special	37%	37%	17%	1%	0%	7%	100%

Base: All parents who know of the available extracurricular arts education opportunities at their child’s school (n = 877). Data table reference = “artseducation_enough”.

We asked secondary school pupils in years 7 to 11 who want to find out about arts education opportunities at their school what information they would like to find out regarding arts education opportunities at their school.

Figure 10: Information about arts education opportunities pupils would like to find out about

Response	Percentage
The GCSE qualifications or equivalents I could take at my school	22%
Information about extra-curricular opportunities in school	21%
Information about careers in the arts	20%
The A level qualifications or equivalents I could take at my school	8%
Information about further study opportunities	7%
Don’t know	18%
I don’t need any information	34%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 who want to find out about arts education opportunities at their school (n = 1310). Data table reference = “artseducation_information”.

We asked all parents, excluding those who said they were unsure or they did not want to find out about arts education opportunities at their child’s school, the same question.

Figure 11: Information about arts education opportunities parents would like to find out about

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
Information about extra-curricular opportunities in school	63%	36%	41%
What they are studying or will study in school	51%	43%	41%
The GCSE or equivalent qualifications they could take at school	0%	25%	12%
Information about careers in the arts	15%	19%	10%
The A level or equivalents qualifications they could take at their school	0%	6%	3%
Information about further study opportunities	0%	6%	4%
Don’t know	7%	6%	8%
I don’t need any information	18%	31%	32%

Base: Parents who know where they would go to find out information about arts education opportunities for their child at their school (n = 2282). Data table reference = “artseducation_information”.

We asked parents what the barriers were to their child accessing arts education opportunities at school.

Figure 12: Barriers to pupils accessing arts education reported by parents

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
My child isn’t interested in these opportunities	18%	37%	23%
I don’t know what’s available to them	20%	12%	22%
Their school doesn’t offer the extracurricular activities they want to take part in	21%	8%	16%
It’s hard to get to/transport is a problem for us	2%	4%	17%
I don’t know how to access the opportunities available	9%	9%	14%
Activities take place at times that don’t work for my child	12%	9%	13%
Their school doesn’t offer the subjects they want to study	12%	4%	8%
It costs too much	12%	4%	4%
Don’t know	7%	10%	9%
None	18%	20%	10%
Other	5%	5%	11%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “artseducation_access”.

Reading

We asked secondary school pupils how often they read in their free time.

Figure 13: How often secondary pupils read in their free time

Phase	Every day	Most days	Some days	Rarely	Never	Total
Secondary	12%	17%	26%	32%	13%	100%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “reading_often”.

We asked secondary school pupils what kind of reading materials staff at their school recommend that are not directly related to schoolwork.

Figure 14: Types of reading materials not directly related to schoolwork that pupils say school staff recommend

Response	Percentage
Books	77%
Poems	24%
Short stories	24%
Newspapers/articles	23%
Audiobooks	18%
Plays	18%
Podcasts	16%
Comics	16%
Other	6%
Don’t know	15%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “reading_recommendtype”.

We asked secondary school pupils to what extent that staff at their school regularly recommend reading materials they are interested in.

Figure 15: Extent that pupils agree or disagree that secondary school staff recommend reading materials pupils are interested in

Audience	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Secondary	9%	26%	29%	18%	12%	6%	100%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “reading_recommend”.

We asked secondary school pupils who read in their free time how they tend to access books, audiobooks, or other reading materials.

Figure 16: How secondary school pupils access books, audiobooks, or other materials for reading in their free time

Response	Percentage
Buying a physical copy, or someone else buying it for me	51%
Through my school	44%
Through my local library	28%
Borrowed a physical copy from a friend or family member	24%
On an e-book reading device	19%
Through a paid app	12%
On websites or online forums	12%
Through a free app	9%
A different way	5%
I don’t access reading materials	8%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 who read in their free time (n = 1412). Data table reference = “reading_access”.

We asked secondary school pupils to what extent, their parents or guardians and secondary school staff encourage them to read in their free time.

Figure 17: Extent secondary school pupils said their parents or guardians and school staff encourage them to read in their free time

Audience	To a great extent	To some extent	To a small extent	Not at all	Don’t know	Total
School staff	26%	36%	24%	11%	4%	100%
Parents and guardians	23%	36%	24%	11%	6%	100%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 11 (n = 1692). Data table reference = “reading_encourageparent” and “reading_encourageschool”.

We asked primary and secondary parents to what extent they encourage their child to read in their free time.

Figure 18: The extent parents encourage pupils to read in their free time

Phase	To a great extent	To some extent	To a small extent	Not at all	Don’t know	Total
Primary	42%	36%	18%	4%	0%	100%
Secondary	30%	39%	22%	8%	1%	100%

Base: Primary and secondary parents whose child is in years 4 to 11 (n = 1771). Data table reference = “reading_freetime”.

We asked primary and secondary parents what were the barriers to encouraging their child to read in their free time.

Figure 19: The barriers parents face to encouraging primary and secondary pupils to read in their free time

Response	Primary	Secondary
I don’t feel there are any barriers to supporting my child’s reading	46%	32%
My child prefers to spend their free time online or playing video games	31%	40%
My child is too busy with homework or other in-person after-school activities	14%	21%
My child is too busy with social activities	13%	17%
My child struggles with reading	11%	11%
I don’t have the time	9%	5%
I don’t receive enough information or help from my child’s school to support their reading	3%	4%
I don’t feel confident in my own reading ability	2%	3%
We can’t access reading materials	2%	1%
Other	6%	5%
Don’t know	1%	4%

Base: Primary and secondary parents whose child is in years 4 to 11 (n = 1771). Data table reference = “reading_barriers”.

We asked parents of primary and secondary parents to what extent they agree or disagree that teachers are able to do more in school to support their child’s reading skills than they can at home. We also asked them to what extent do they agree or disagree that teachers are able to do more in school to support their child in developing a love of reading than they can at home.

Figure 20: Extent parents agree or disagree that teachers are able to do more in school to support their child’s reading skills and develop a love for reading than they can at home

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Support reading skills	16%	28%	34%	12%	7%	4%	100%
Develop a love of reading	12%	29%	34%	15%	8%	3%	100%

Base: Primary and secondary parents whose child is in years 4 to 11 (n = 1771). Data table reference = “reading_schoolsupport” and “reading_personalsupport”.

We asked parents of primary and secondary parents to what extent do they agree or disagree that reading for enjoyment will help their child to succeed in life, outside of academic studies.

Figure 21: Extent parents agree or disagree that reading for enjoyment will help their child to succeed in life, outside of academic studies

Phase	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Primary	52%	30%	14%	2%	1%	1%	100%
Secondary	41%	37%	15%	2%	1%	3%	100%

Base: Primary and secondary parents whose child is in years 4 to 11 (n = 1771). Data table reference = “reading_succeed”.

Behaviour

We asked all school pupils how often they experienced different types of pupil misbehaviour during lessons or classes they attended the past week of term.

Figure 22: How often other pupils experienced different types of pupil misbehaviour during lessons or classes they attended the past week of term

Statement	All lessons	Most lessons	Some lessons	Rarely	Never	Don’t know	Total
Pupils talking	31%	34%	25%	6%	1%	3%	100%
Pupils shouting out	18%	24%	31%	18%	4%	3%	100%
Pupils answering back or challenging instructions	12%	18%	34%	25%	8%	3%	100%
Pupils using mobile devices when not supposed to	9%	19%	30%	26%	11%	5%	100%
Pupils arriving to lessons late	13%	25%	39%	18%	2%	3%	100%

Base: All school pupils in years 7 to 13 (n = 2105). Data table reference = “pupilbehaviour_talking”, “pupilbehaviour_shouting”, “pupilbehaviour_challenge”, “pupilbehaviour_phones”, “pupilbehaviour_late”.

Mobile phones

We asked pupils in years 7 to 13 how they are allowed to use mobile phones whilst at school.

Figure 23: How pupils in years 7 to 13 are allowed to use mobile phones at school

Response	Secondary	Post-16
I can bring my mobile phone to school, but it must be kept out of sight, and I am not allowed to use it	61%	9%
I am only allowed to use my mobile phone when a teacher says I can during lessons	12%	18%
I hand my mobile phone in or leave it in a secure place that I cannot access during the school day	8%	1%
I am not allowed to bring my mobile phone on to school grounds	8%	1%
I am only allowed to use my mobile phone during break and lunch time	6%	38%
I can use my mobile phone at any time in school	2%	27%
Other	1%	6%
Don’t know	1%	0%

Base: Pupils in years 7 to 13 (n = 2105). Data table reference = “phones_policy”.

We asked pupils in years 7 to 13 how often pupils in their school followed the rules on mobile phones in the past week.

Figure 24: How often pupils in their school followed the rules on mobile phones in the past week

Phase	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	Rarely	Never	Don’t know	Total
Post-16	14%	42%	22%	15%	3%	3%	100%
Secondary	8%	28%	25%	24%	12%	4%	100%

Base: Secondary pupils in years 7 to 13 (n = 2105). Data table reference = “phones_followrules”.

We asked all parents if they were aware of their child’s school mobile phone policy.

Figure 25: Whether parents are aware of their child’s school mobile phone policy

Phase	Yes - I am familiar with the detail of the policy	Yes - I know a bit about the policy	Yes - I am aware there is a policy but know nothing else	No - I have not heard of this policy	Don’t know	Total
Primary	41%	22%	12%	19%	5%	100%
Secondary	71%	22%	4%	1%	1%	100%
Special	43%	11%	8%	28%	10%	100%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “phones_policyawareness”.

We asked parents who know at least a bit about their child’s school mobile phone policy what their child’s school mobile phone policy says about how pupils are allowed to use mobile phones whilst at school.

Figure 26: Mobile phone policies that parents say are in place at their child’s school

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
They must hand their mobile phone in or leave it in a secure place that they cannot access during the school day	51%	9%	44%
They are not allowed to bring their mobile phone onto school grounds	32%	9%	23%
They can bring their mobile phone to school but it must be kept out of sight, and they are not allowed to use it	11%	63%	17%
Don’t know	3%	1%	6%
They can use their mobile phone at any time in school	1%	1%	2%
They are only allowed to use their mobile phone when a teacher says they can during lessons	1%	10%	2%
Other	1%	1%	2%
They are allowed to use their mobile phone during break and lunch time	0%	6%	3%

Base: Parents who know at least a bit about their child’s school mobile phone policy (n = 2052). Data table reference = “phones_content”.

We also asked parents who know at least a bit about their child’s school mobile phone policy the extent to which they agree or disagree they are supportive of their child’s school mobile phone policy.

Figure 27: The extent parents are supportive of their child’s school mobile phone policy

Phase	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Primary	67%	25%	5%	1%	1%	2%	100%
Secondary	43%	38%	11%	6%	2%	0%	100%
Special	63%	21%	9%	1%	2%	4%	100%

Base: Parents who know at least a bit about their child’s school mobile phone policy (n = 2052). Data table reference = “phones_policyeffective”.

Perceptions of fairness in society

We asked pupils and learners in years 10 to 13 and all parents the extent they agree or disagree that they or their child have a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them.

Figure 28: Extent pupils and parents agree or disagree that they or their child have a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them

Audience	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don’t know	Total
Pupils	23%	48%	17%	7%	2%	2%	100%
Parents	36%	44%	10%	7%	2%	1%	100%

Base: Pupil and learners in years 10-13 (n = 1642). Parents (n = 2218). Data table reference = “lifestyle_fairchancechild_all”.

Period products

We asked all female pupils and learners whether their school or college provides free period products.

Figure 29: Whether female pupil’s schools or colleges provide free period products

Phase	Yes - and I have used them	Yes - but I have not used them	No	Don’t know	Total
Secondary	33%	45%	9%	13%	100%
Post-16	52%	38%	5%	5%	100%

Base: Female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 (n = 1544). Data table reference = “period_products”.

We asked female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have used period products provided by their school/college what were the benefits of accessing free period products.

Figure 30: The benefits pupils gained from accessing free period products

Response	Percentage
I was able to access period products more easily	66%
I felt less worried and anxious	50%
I was able to attend school/college more easily	28%
I was able to concentrate in lessons more easily	24%
I was able to take part in sports/physical activity more easily	18%
I felt more comfortable talking about my period	15%
I was able to try out new products	10%
I was able to use environmentally friendly period products	7%
None of these	10%

Base: Female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have used period products provided by their school/college (n = 659). Data table reference = “period_benefits”.

We also asked female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have not used free period products provided by their school/college why they have not used them.

Figure 31: Why pupils have not used free period products provided by their school/college

Response	Percentage
I have never needed to access period products at school/college	60%
My parent / carer provides me with period products	56%
I am not comfortable with the process of getting the products	19%
The products offered are not ones I like	10%
I do not use period products	6%
The products offered are not suitable for me	5%
The process for getting the products is too complicated	4%
I am not sure where to get the products	3%
I am able to access free products from another organisation	0%
Other	5%
Don’t know	2%

Base: Female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have not used period products provided by their school/college (n = 616). Data table reference = “period_whynotused”.

We asked all female pupils in years 7 to 13 how often have they been unable to access period products because of their cost in the last 12 months.

Figure 32: How often pupils have been unable to access period products because of their cost in the last 12 months

Audience	Every month	A few times	Less often	Never	I don’t need period products	Don’t know	Total
Female pupils	5%	8%	8%	55%	11%	12%	100%

Base: Female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 (n = 1544). Data table reference = “period_access”.

We asked all female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have been unable to access period products because of their cost in the last 12 months how that had affected them.

Figure 33: How being unable to access period products because of their cost has affected pupils

Response	Percentage
It’s made me feel worried or anxious	40%
I’ve struggled to concentrate on school/college work	27%
It has not affected me	24%
I’ve missed social activities	22%
I’ve been unable to take part in sports and fitness activities	20%
I’ve missed school/college	17%
I’ve been bullied	1%
Other	3%
Don’t know	5%
Prefer not to say	4%

Base: Female pupils and learners in years 7 to 13 who have been unable to access period products because of their cost in the last 12 months (n = 392). Data table reference = “period_accessaffect”.

Post-16 courses

We asked pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 if their school or college was their first choice for post-16 education. The majority (80%) said yes, 15% said no and 5% did not know.

We asked pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 if the course or subjects they have been studying this year was their first choice. The majority (76%) said yes, 21% said no and 3% did not know.

We asked pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 how easy do they find travelling to school or college.

Figure 34: How easy pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 find travelling to school or college

Phase	Very easy	Fairly easy	Not very easy	Not easy at all	Don’t know	Total
Post-16	32%	48%	15%	5%	1%	100%

Base: Pupil and learners in years 12 and 13 (n = 908). Data table reference = “post16_travel”.

We asked pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 who do not attend their first choice school or college to what extent was travel a barrier to them attending their preferred choice of school or college.

Figure 35: The extent travel was a barrier to attending pupils and learners preferred choice of school or college

Phase	To a great extent	To some extent	To a small extent	Not at all	Don’t know	Total
Post-16	12%	36%	25%	23%	4%	100%

Base: Pupil and learners in years 12 and 13 who do not attend their first choice school or college (n = 125). Data table reference = “post16_traveldifficult”.

We asked pupils and learners in years 12 and 13 if the contact time they have with their school or college teacher in lessons is too much, too little or about right.

Figure 36: Whether contact time pupils and learners have with their school or college teacher in lessons is too much, too little or about right

Phase	Too much	About right	Too little	Varies too much to say	Don’t know	Total
Post-16	5%	71%	11%	5%	8%	100%

Base: Pupil and learners in years 12 and 13 (n = 908). Data table reference = “post16_contact”.

School lunches

We asked all parents whether their child had eaten school lunches provided by the school, either bought at the school or a free school meal since September 2024.

Figure 37: Whether pupils had eaten school lunches

Phase	Yes - all of the time	Yes - most of the time	Yes - some of the time	No - never	Don’t know	Total
Primary	44%	17%	24%	15%	0%	100%
Secondary	33%	18%	31%	18%	1%	100%
Special	46%	7%	17%	29%	1%	100%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “nutrition_schoollunch”.

We asked all parents who said their child has not eaten school lunches provided by school since September 2024 why does their child not eat a school lunch.

Figure 38: Why pupils do not eat a school lunch

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
My child prefers to bring lunch from home or make other arrangements	69%	66%	65%
My child does not enjoy the taste of available lunches	59%	24%	31%
The cost of school lunches	28%	28%	8%
The dining environment is unappealing e.g. unclean, noisy, not enough seating	11%	23%	9%
My child’s friends don’t eat school lunch either	11%	19%	1%
Not enough choice of lunches	17%	15%	6%
The food is not healthy enough	10%	9%	0%
The lunches don’t meet their dietary requirements	8%	6%	8%
Another reason	8%	11%	24%
Don’t know	0%	1%	1%

Base: All parents who said their child has not eaten school lunches provided by school since September 2024 (n = 502). Data table reference = “nutrition_whynot”.

We asked parents what would they like to be improved about their child’s school lunch.

Figure 39: What parents would like to be improved about their child’s school lunch

Response	Primary	Secondary	Special
Greater choice of lunches	43%	34%	27%
Better-tasting lunches	36%	26%	15%
Nothing needs to be improved	14%	12%	33%
Bigger portion sizes	31%	16%	13%
Healthier food choices	22%	30%	11%
Lunches being cheaper	16%	28%	8%
Improvements to the dining environment	13%	20%	6%
Meals that meet my child’s dietary requirements	12%	8%	14%
Other	4%	11%	4%
Don’t know	4%	9%	11%

Base: All parents (n = 2749). Data table reference = “nutrition_improve”.

Glossary of terms

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.

National Pupil Database (NPD): A register data set of all pupils in state schools in England, compiled by the Department for Education. It contains attainment data as children progress through school, as well as information on pupil background, absences and exclusions from school.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND): A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which 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 which 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.