High living costs have been touted as the reason 50 per cent of parents can’t afford to help their child with additional learning materials or support, according to new research.
It was recently revealed that parents anticipate forking out more than £3,000 to keep their child entertained during school holidays, so it’s no wonder family budgets are still feeling the pinch after months and months of high costs for everything from energy to food shopping. While knowing how to save money can help parents ease the financial pressure to a certain extent, those facing high childcare costs may find it impossible to save any more.
And now a new study by online tutoring company MyEdSpace has uncovered the impact these financial pressures are having on children’s education. According to the survey, six in 10 parents would like to find ways to boost their child’s education, but the additional cost means it has been pushed down the list of priorities. And 50 per cent cited lack of budget as the reason they couldn’t buy more revision materials or pay for additional tutoring for their child, with 53 per cent worrying that it could negatively impact their child’s potential.
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The survey of 1,000 parents also found that 31 per cent had managed to cut costs elsewhere to pay for tutoring and that 38 per cent resorted to trying their own methods to boost extracurricular learning at home. But almost eight in 10 (77 per cent) parents said that they struggled to inspire older children to revise at home when it came to tests and exams.
It was also revealed that 68 per cent of parents would pay for private tutoring for their child if they could afford it, but that household bills, food shopping and mortgage payments made this unfeasible.
The data also shone light on the struggle to motivate their children to continue their learning at home. Almost a fifth (20 per cent) didn’t think their children were particular engaged in learning at home, and that parents resorted to reward systems, goal setting and extra pocket money to help improve interest. When it came to learning during the school holidays, 26 per cent of parents see the school holidays as time for a break from learning, 28 per cent said that they look to strike a balance between relaxing and learning.
If your child is taking their GCSEs this year, make sure you read our GCSE revision tips to help keep them focused and keep stress at bay. When it comes to financial pressures, our money expert shares her foolproof ways to reduce school costs, and how to help make ends meet during school holidays.
