A new online survey of 2,000 teacher members of the National Education Union shows that:
- 71 per cent of all respondents believe their school does not have enough funding to meet basic provision for pupils.
- Problems are more acute in primary and special schools, where over three quarters of respondents (78 per cent in both cases) told us their school cannot afford basic provision.
- A clear majority (72 per cent) told us that their school was ‘running on empty’.
- Most teachers responding to the survey (72 per cent) say the classes they teach are too large, and a large majority (81 per cent) say staff in their school have left without being replaced.
- Many respondents mention a lack of basic supplies in their school, such as glue sticks, pens and exercise books.
The snapshot survey was conducted between 8-9 January 2026.
Basic Provision
Seven in ten teacher respondents (71 per cent) say their school does not have enough funding to meet basic provision for pupils. This includes a third of teachers (32 per cent) who say their school has “nowhere near” enough funding to meet even basic provision.
Problems are most acute in primary and special schools, where over three quarters of teachers (78 per cent in both sectors) say their school cannot afford basic provision for their students.
Running on Empty
Almost three-quarters of teachers (72 per cent) agreed that their school is “running on empty”, with only 11 per cent disagreeing with the statement.
Problems were again most acute among primary teachers, where almost four fifths (79 per cent) agreed with the description. Of that number, more than half – 41 per cent of the total - agreed strongly.
Staff Not Being Replaced
Four fifths of teachers (81 per cent) say staff in their school have left without being replaced. The knock-on effect is most keenly felt through high levels of workload experienced by our members, as responsibilities previously held by departing staff are reallocated among the remaining workforce. Failure to replace these teachers creates a vicious cycle.
Responses to this question were almost identical in primary and secondary phases.
Class Sizes
Almost three quarters of teachers responding to the survey (72 per cent) feel the classes they teach are too big. One in five (21 per cent) believe they are ‘far too big’.
Secondary teachers report the greatest dissatisfaction with class sizes, with four fifths (81 per cent) saying they are too big. This aligns with official statistics, which show average secondary class sizes are at their highest level since at least 1977.
Just over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) feel their classes are the right size and almost none say they are ‘too small’ or ‘far too small’ (below 1 per cent combined).
Large class sizes create extra workload for teachers, with workload identified as one of the main drivers of teachers leaving the profession.
General Feedback
When teachers were asked, as part of this survey, about “things you would expect your school to be able to provide for/offer pupils that are not possible due to lack of funding?”, there were some common themes that stood out among the responses. Most responses mentioned a lack of basic supplies in school such as glue sticks, pens, exercise books, etc. Almost everyone focused on provision that the public would expect schools to be able to provide as standard:
“A school building that is fit for purpose. A roof that doesn't leak. Adequate heating in winter. Cool classrooms in the summer.”
“Trips, adequate PE equipment, old furniture needs replacing with better and more appropriate furniture. We need new books for foundation subjects and science. Any science resources we can't get because there's no money.”
“We do not have sufficient amounts of basic resources eg whiteboards and pens, pencils for children to write with… Our early years classroom resources have been sourced from the toys that parents donate and others that we have picked out of skips.”
“My school's budget is so tight at the moment that we're discussing no longer having whiteboards and pens due to the cost of replacing whiteboard pens.”
“Hot meal each day for the most vulnerable children in North Tyneside? No money. Access to IT? No money. Basic writing and drawing supplies? No money. Staff spending their own money to subsidise the requirements of Ofsted and an overburdened, corrupted, ignored and embarrassingly outdated education system? Yes, absolutely.”
Commenting on the findings of the survey, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“School underfunding is very real, and is taking a heavy toll on teachers, pupils and their parents. When a clear majority of teachers tell us their school is ‘running on empty’, there is surely an overwhelming case for the government to look again at its failure to prioritise education.
“The reality on the ground is caused by underfunding, but the effects are high workload for teachers and burnout leading to staff shortages. For parents, it is a failure of government to ensure that schools can even deliver the most ‘basic provision’ for their children. Teachers are telling us that far too many schools are scraping by, and one third are ‘nowhere near’ to being able to pay for the basics.
“By persisting with the austerity 2.0 of current education policy, the government is failing a generation and cementing problems for the future. We are in a vicious cycle and it is quite clear to those on the front line that this government must change direction and do so fast.”
Editor’s Note
We received responses from 2,001 members on 8-9 January 2026. These were reweighted in line with national figures from the School Workforce Census to control for gender, region, phase, age and level of deprivation in schools as measured by the IDACI index.