Children from low income families are “bounced out of some subjects” at school by costs, a charity has warned.
Research by Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found nearly a quarter (23%) of secondary school pupils on free school meals (FSM) said cost fears have prevented them from choosing a subject to study, compared with 9% of their peers who are not receiving free school meals.
FSM students were also more likely to say costs were important to them when choosing school subjects – 29% said this was important to them compared with 11% of their more affluent peers.
Kate Anstey, head of education policy at CPAG, said: “Children in struggling families are going back to school only to be bounced out of some subjects and learning by costs – cut off from opportunities just as the foundations of their futures are being laid.”
The survey of 1,701 secondary school pupils also found 30% of those eligible for FSM said they find it difficult to afford what they need for homework, such as access to technology.
The costs students can face for certain GCSE options include things like needing to buy ingredients for food and nutrition subjects, instrument lessons for music, trips for fieldwork in geography, or going abroad in languages.
Previous research by CPAG found it costs families a minimum of £2,274.77 per year to send their child to secondary school. Within this, families reported spending at least £449.67 on things like stationery, revision guides and calculators.
The new survey also found more than a third (34%) of FSM eligible students said it is difficult to afford school trips, and 21% said the same of school clubs.
More than a quarter of FSM students (27%) said it is difficult for them to afford musical instruments or music lessons.
CPAG said the Government must use the upcoming child poverty strategy to support family incomes, and called first for the two-child limit on some benefits to be axed.
The Government is expected to publish its strategy in the autumn.
Ms Anstey said: “The Prime Minister has promised to leave no stone unturned to give every child the very best start at life, but actions are needed to match that objective.
“Government’s forthcoming child poverty strategy must invest in family incomes and children’s life chances – and scrapping the two-child limit must be the first action point.”
A recent survey by charity Parentkind found nearly half of parents were worried about the cost of school uniform for the new year, and 29% said they would go “without heating or eating” to pay for it.
The Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes a proposal to cap the number of branded uniform items schools in England can require.
Survation carried out the poll for CPAG between April 17 and May 1.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Tackling the baked-in inequalities in our education system will take time, but we have a clear plan for change to increase support for working families and break down barriers to opportunity.
“We are absolutely clear that schools should make sure the cost of curriculum subjects is not a barrier to access and that materials necessary for examinations are provided to all pupils.
“More widely, we are putting pounds back in parents’ pockets by limiting the number of branded uniform items, expanding free school meals to every family on Universal Credit and rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country.”
