Research and analysis

Parent, pupil and learner voice: February 2025

Updated 15 July 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 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 February 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.

We ran a survey between 10 February and 17 February. The respondents were:

Audience Responses
Primary school parents 984
Secondary school parents 1386
Special school parents 615
Secondary school pupils 2182

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 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 鈥榥one鈥 and 鈥榓ll鈥 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 鈥榓verage鈥 we are reporting the arithmetic mean.

Further information on the survey methodology is available in the accompanying technical report.

Topics covered in this survey

  • technical qualifications at key stage 4
  • work experience
  • parental advice on post-19 education opportunities
  • parental advice on employment or work experience opportunities
  • teaching quality
  • parental need for wraparound childcare
  • breakfast clubs
  • access to specialist SEND support
  • parental views of SEND and AP system
  • wellbeing and loneliness

Technical qualifications at key stage 4

We asked pupils in years 10 and 11 what qualifications they were currently studying.

Figure 1: What qualification year 10 and 11 pupils are currently studying

Response Percentage
GCSE 98%
BTEC 10%
Cambridge National 4%
National Vocational Qualification 1%
Other 3%
Don鈥檛 know 1%

Base: Pupils in years 10 and 11 (n = 915). Data table reference = 鈥渢echnicaleducationks4_subject鈥.

We asked pupils in years 10 and 11 who are studying a qualification other than GCSEs, why they decided to take those qualifications at Key Stage 4.

Figure 2: Why pupils decided to take a qualification other than GCSEs at Key stage 4

Response Percentage
I am interested in gaining practical skills in the subject area 37%
The content is more interesting to me than GCSEs 32%
It was the only option in the subject area in my school 31%
I want to study a similar subject when I go to sixth form/college 22%
The qualification suits my learning style better than GCSEs 20%
The qualification has more coursework than GCSEs 9%
Other 12%

Base: Pupils in years 10 and 11 who are studying a qualification other than GCSEs (n = 132). Data table reference = 鈥渢echnicaleducationks4_reason鈥.

Work experience

We asked pupils in years 10 and 11 if they have participated in, or are intending to participate in, a work experience placement this academic year. The majority said yes, with 26% having participated and 37% intending to, compared to 30% who said they had not and do not intend to participate, and 6% saying that they did not know.

We asked those who had participated in a work experience placement this academic year, who was involved in arranging their placement.

Figure 3: Who was involved in arranging pupils鈥 work experience placements

Response Percentage
Parent(s) or carer(s) 46%
I arranged it myself 25%
A careers leader 24%
Someone else at my school 13%
Other family member(s) 11%
A subject teacher 8%
Other 2%
Don鈥檛 know 1%

Base: Pupils in years 10 and 11 who have participated in a work experience placement this academic year (n = 228). Data table reference = 鈥渨orkexperience_organised鈥.

We also asked those who had participated or intended to participate in a work experience placement this academic year, which benefits from their placement they think were or will be most important to them.

Figure 4: Most important benefits from work experience placements for pupils

Response Percentage
Gaining skills and confidence to help me find a job 54%
Career decisions/helping to decide on my career 49%
Improving my understanding of the workplace 48%
Planning my post-16 options 18%
None of the above 1%
Don鈥檛 know 4%

Base: Pupils in years 10 and 11 who have participated or intend to participate in a work experience placement this academic year (n = 590). Data table reference = 鈥渨orkexperience_important鈥.

We asked those who do not intend to participate in a work experience placement this academic year whether they had experienced any barriers to accessing a work experience placement.

Figure 5: Barriers to accessing a work experience placement

Response Percentage
My school does not offer work experience placements 29%
Lack of school support to find a placement 19%
Don鈥檛 have the time to take part 14%
No placement looked interesting or relevant to my future plans 14%
Transport issues 5%
No placement in my region/close to me 4%
Other 29%
Not applicable - I have not experienced any barriers 17%

Base: Pupils in years 10 and 11 who have not and do not intend to participate in a work experience placement this academic year (n = 246). Data table reference = 鈥渨orkexperience_barriers鈥.

Parental advice on post-19 education opportunities

We asked pupils in years 9 to 11 whether they had asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities. The majority (57%) of pupils had asked for advice.

For pupils who had asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities, we asked how useful they had found their advice.

Figure 6: How useful pupils found parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on post-19 education opportunities

Audience Very useful Quite useful Not very useful Not useful at all Total
Pupils in years 9 to 11 23% 69% 8% 0% 100%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who have asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities (n = 721). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_usefulness鈥.

We asked those who found their parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on post-19 education opportunities useful, why this was.

Figure 7: What made pupils parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on post-19 education opportunities useful

Response Percentage
They knew where the courses I was interested in were run 35%
They were able to direct me to sources of information 35%
They knew where the best places were for the course I was interested in 34%
They were able to talk to me about their experience of studying the same course I am interested in 30%
They were able to put me in contact with a relative or family friend who had studied the course or a course similar to the one I am interested in 26%
They were able to take me to visit future places of study 24%
They were able to direct me to specific websites for my preferred options 20%
Other 19%
Don鈥檛 know 3%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who found their parents鈥 or carers鈥 post-19 education opportunities advice useful (n = 641). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_whyuseful鈥.

We asked pupils who had not asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities why this was.

Figure 8: Why pupils had not asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities

Response Percentage
I haven鈥檛 started to think about what I want to do after age 19 65%
I want to make this decision by myself 19%
They don鈥檛 know anything about the type of course I want to do 9%
I have asked other family members or friends for advice instead 6%
They don鈥檛 want me to do the type of course I am interested in doing 1%
Other 11%
Don鈥檛 know 10%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who have not asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities (n = 423). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_whynot鈥.

We also asked parents how confident they were in giving their child advice on their potential post-19 education options.

Figure 9: How confident parents are at giving their child advice on post-19 education opportunities

Audience Very confident Fairly confident Not very confident Not at all confident Don鈥檛 know Total
Parents 19% 53% 22% 5% 1% 100%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 10 or 11 (n = 486). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_post19鈥.

We asked parents who were very or fairly confident in providing advice on post-19 education opportunities why this was.

Figure 10: What made parents confident in providing advice on post-19 education opportunities

Response Percentage
I know where to go to find out information 60%
I have time to help my child explore their post-19 education options 54%
I know people who have taken different post-19 education routes 47%
I am aware of the post-19 education opportunities available 43%
My child has told me what post-19 education options they want to take 34%
My child鈥檚 school has advised me on how I can support them 31%
I have older children who I have helped choose post-19 education options 26%
None of the above 5%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 10 or 11 who were very or fairly confident that they can advise their child on post-19 education options (n = 338). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_post19_factor鈥.

We asked parents who were not very or not at all confident in providing advice on post-19 education opportunities, why this was.

Figure 11: What made parents not confident in providing advice on post-19 education opportunities

Response Percentage
I am not aware of the post-19 education opportunities available 60%
I don鈥檛 have experience of supporting older children through post-19 education options 45%
My child has not told me what post-19 education options they want to take 38%
I don鈥檛 know where to go to find out information 38%
I don鈥檛 know people who have taken different post-19 education routes 36%
My child鈥檚 school has not advised me on how I can support them 36%
I don鈥檛 have time to help my child explore their post-19 education options 3%
None of the above 4%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 10 or 11 who are not very or not at all confident that they can advise their child on post-19 education options (n = 139). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_post19_whynot鈥.

Parental advice on employment or work experience opportunities

We also asked pupils in years 9 to 11 whether they had asked their parents or carers for advice on employment or work experience opportunities. The majority (70%) of pupils had asked for advice.

For those who had asked their parents or carers for advice on employment or work experience opportunities, we asked how useful they had found their advice.

Figure 12: How useful pupils found their parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on employment or work experience opportunities

Audience Very useful Quite useful Not very useful Not at all useful Total
Pupils 23% 67% 9% 1% 100%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who have asked their parents or carers for advice on employment or work experience opportunities (n = 914). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_employmentuseful鈥.

We also asked pupils who found their parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on employment or work experience opportunities useful why this was.

Figure 13: What made their parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on employment or work experience opportunities useful

Response Percentage
They were able to talk through my plans with me 43%
They knew where the best places for employment or work experience opportunities that I was interested in were 39%
They were able to direct me to sources of information 30%
They were able to put me in contact with a relative or family friend who is employed in the area I鈥檓 interested in 26%
They were able to direct me to specific websites for my preferred options 21%
They were able to take me to visit potential employment or work experience opportunities 21%
Other 11%
Don鈥檛 know 5%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who found their parents鈥 or carers鈥 advice on employment or work experience opportunities useful (n = 812). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_employmentwhyuseful鈥.

We asked pupils who had not asked their parents or carers for advice on post-19 education opportunities why this was.

Figure 14: Why pupils had not asked their parents or carers for advice on employment or work experience opportunities

Response Percentage
I haven鈥檛 started to think about what I want to do as a career 44%
They don鈥檛 know anything about the type of career I want to do 22%
I鈥檓 making my career decisions independently 17%
I have asked other family members or friends for advice instead 8%
They don鈥檛 want me to do the career I am interested in doing 3%
Other 13%
Don鈥檛 know 12%

Base: Pupils in years 9 to 11 who have not asked their parents or carers for advice on employment or work experience opportunities (n = 329). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_employmentwhynot鈥.

We asked parents how confident they were in giving their child advice on their employment or work experience opportunities.

Figure 15: How confident parents are at giving their child advice on employment or work experience opportunities

Audience Very confident Fairly confident Not very confident Not at all confident Don鈥檛 know Total
Parents 28% 52% 17% 2% 1% 100%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 8,9,10 or 11 (n = 1049). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_confidence鈥.

We asked parents who were very or fairly confident in providing advice on employment or work experience opportunities why this was.

Figure 16: What made parents confident in providing advice on employment or work experience opportunities

Response Percentage
I know where to go to find out information 65%
I have time to help my child explore their choices 58%
I know people employed in a range of different types of jobs that I can ask for help 56%
My child knows what they want to do as a job 36%
I know people who own their own businesses that I can ask for help 33%
I am aware of job market trends or areas of growth 25%
My child鈥檚 school has advised me on how I can support them 18%
I have advised other family members when making their career choices 16%
None of the above 2%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 8, 9, 10, or 11 who are very or fairly confident that they can advise their child on employment or work opportunities (n = 846). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_factors鈥.

We asked parents who were not very or not at all confident in providing advice on post-19 education opportunities why this was.

Figure 17: Reasons why parents were not confident in providing advice on employment or work experience opportunities

Response Percentage
My child does not know what they want to do as a job 59%
I don鈥檛 know about job market trends or areas of growth 56%
I don鈥檛 know people employed in a range of different types of jobs that I can ask for help 53%
I don鈥檛 know where to go to find out information 48%
I don鈥檛 know people who own their own businesses that I can ask for help 46%
My child鈥檚 school has not advised me on how I can support them 35%
I have never advised other family members when making their career choices 24%
I don鈥檛 have time to help my child explore their choices 4%
None of the above 4%

Base: All secondary parents whose child is in year 8, 9, 10, or 11 who are not very or not at all confident that they can advise their child on employment or work experience opportunities (n = 192). Data table reference = 鈥渘etwork_whynot鈥.

Teaching quality

We asked pupils to think about their most recent lesson and consider several statements about the way it was taught, choosing for each statement how often, if at all, their teacher acts in that way.

Figure 18: How often pupils experienced different teaching approaches

Activity Always Most of the time Some of the time Never Don鈥檛 know Total
My teacher makes learning enjoyable 23% 38% 29% 9% 1% 100%
My teacher explains difficult things clearly 25% 44% 25% 5% 1% 100%
My teacher talks to me about my work to help me understand my mistakes 30% 29% 28% 11% 2% 100%
When the work is too hard, my teacher encourages me to keep trying 38% 29% 21% 7% 4% 100%
If I don鈥檛 understand something, my teacher explains it in a different way 25% 33% 28% 9% 5% 100%
My teacher respects my opinions and suggestions 44% 27% 17% 6% 7% 100%

Base: All pupils year 7 to 11 (n = 2182). Data table reference = 鈥渢eaching_enjoyable鈥, 鈥渢eaching_clear鈥, 鈥渢eaching_understand鈥, 鈥渢eaching_trying鈥, 鈥渢eaching_explain鈥, 鈥渢eaching_opinions鈥.

Parental need for wraparound childcare

We asked all primary and special parents whose child鈥檚 school offers childcare which, if any, of the school鈥檚 childcare offers had they used since September 2024. The majority had used at least one of the offers, with 9% using before-school childcare, 21% using after-school childcare and 24% using both, whilst 46% had used neither.

We asked primary and special school parents to what extent they agreed that their needs for before-school and after-school childcare are currently being fully met.

Figure 19: The extent parents agree or disagree that their needs for before-school and after-school childcare are currently being met

Childcare Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree Don鈥檛 know Total
Before-school childcare 32% 32% 16% 9% 4% 7% 100%
After-school childcare 34% 31% 15% 9% 6% 5% 100%

Base: Primary and special school parents, excluding those who said they do not need before-school childcare. (n = 948).Primary and special schoolparents excluding those who said they do not need after-school childcare. (n = 948). Data table references = 鈥渨raparound_satisfaction_before鈥, 鈥渨raparound_satisfaction_after鈥.

We asked parents who disagreed or strongly disagreed that their needs for before-school childcare are being met, and those who disagreed or strongly disagreed that their needs for after-school childcare are being met, why this was.

Figure 20: Why parents鈥 needs for before-school or after-school childcare are not being fully met

Response Before-school childcare After-school childcare
It is too expensive 46% 35%
The hours are unsuitable 31% 13%
It is not available during school holidays 19% 16%
I am not able to get a place at my preferred provider 17% 19%
It does not meet my child鈥檚 needs 12% 11%
I have been refused a childcare place due to my child鈥檚 needs 5% 5%
I am not happy with the quality 3% 5%
The school offers no provision 3% 12%
Don鈥檛 know 0% 2%
Another reason 17% 27%

Base: All parents who disagreed or strongly disagreed that their needs for before-school childcare are being met (n = 205). All parents who disagreed or strongly disagreed that their needs for after-school childcare are being met (n = 249). Data table references = 鈥渨raparound_whydissatisfied_before鈥, 鈥渨raparound_whydissatisfied_after鈥.

We asked all primary and special school parents whether the current availability of before and after-school childcare had affected the work pattern and or working hours of those in their household during term time. The majority said no (57%), whilst 32% said yes and 11% were not sure.

We asked those parents who have used before or after-school childcare what childcare funding options they had used for this since the start of September 2024.

Figure 21: Childcare funding options parents have used for before or after-school childcare since September 2024

Response Percentage
Tax-Free Childcare 19%
Universal Credit 15%
Childcare vouchers 8%
None of the above 59%
Prefer not to say 1%

Base: All parents who have used before or after schooo childcare (n = 461). Data table reference = 鈥渨raparound_tfc鈥.

Breakfast clubs

We asked primary parents whose child鈥檚 school offers before school childcare whether the breakfast offered by the school is free. The majority said that it was not free and there was a charge (70%), 10% said it was free, 5% said there was no breakfast offer at the school and 15% did not know.

We asked primary parents whose child school does not offer free breakfast, if their child鈥檚 school were to offer a free breakfast club that lasted for 30 minutes, how often would they plan for their child to attend.

Figure 22: How often parents would plan for their child to attend a free breakfast club if offered by their child鈥檚 school

Response Percentage
Every school day 27%
Less than every school day but more than once a week 24%
About once a week 10%
Less than once a week but more than once a month 4%
Less than once a month but more than once a term 2%
Less than once a term 3%
Never 21%
Don鈥檛 know 8%

Base: All primary parents whose child school does not offer free breakfast (n = 892). Data table reference = 鈥渂reakfast_likely鈥.

Access to specialist SEND support

We asked all parents whose child has SEND whether their child needed specialist support during this academic year, and if so, what type of support was required.

Figure 23: The types of specialist support needed this academic year

Response Special Primary Secondary
A speech and language therapist 50% 28% 7%
An occupational therapist 33% 15% 7%
Another type of support 20% 31% 29%
Mental health support 22% 21% 29%
They do not need any of these types of support 11% 18% 28%
Medical support 21% 14% 20%
Social services 19% 5% 5%
A physiotherapist 17% 6% 8%
An educational psychologist 15% 15% 10%
Don鈥檛 know 8% 6% 8%

Base: All parents whose child has SEND (n = 1630). Data table reference = 鈥渟endsupport_require鈥.

We asked parents whose child has required specialist support this academic year, whether they have received support from each of the specialists they needed it from for a maximum of three response options.

Figure 24: Whether specialist support has been received

Activity Yes No
Medical support 87% 9%
Social service 79% 18%
Physiotherapist 78% 20%
Another type of support 77% 13%
Speech and language therapist 75% 18%
Occupational therapist 67% 25%
Mental health support 56% 34%
Educational psychologist 53% 38%

Base: Parents responded based on the types of specialist support their child had needed, so individual base sizes are different for each job role. Please refer to accompanying data tables. Data table reference = 鈥渟endsupport_receive鈥.

We asked parents who said their child needs specialist support, but does not receive it, why that was. When a parent said their child needed multiple types of support and did not receive them, we only asked about three types of support selected randomly from those they required.

Figure 25: Most common reasons why specialist support cannot be accessed

Response Percentage
My child is currently on the waiting list 28%
There are no support staff (e.g. therapists) available at pupil鈥檚 school 23%
The school can鈥檛/won鈥檛 pay for the support 11%
My child doesn鈥檛 meet the criteria 10%
The support offered is not suitable for my child 8%
Other 15%
Don鈥檛 know 4%
Travelling to where support is delivered is too difficult 0%

Base: Reasons given by parents for their child not being able to access specialist support

All parents who said their child needs specialist support but does not receive it (n = 578). Data table reference = 鈥渟endsupport_access_edupsychologist鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_mhsupport鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_occupational鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_speech鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_medical鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_physiotherapy鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_socialservice鈥, 鈥渟endsupport_access_other鈥.^

Parental views of SEND and AP system

We asked all parents whose child has SEND how confident they were that their child鈥檚 school is able to support their special educational needs or disabilities.

Figure 26: How confident parents are that their child鈥檚 school is able support their special educational needs or disabilities

Phase Very confident Fairly confident Not very confident Not at all confident Prefer not to say Don鈥檛 know Total
Primary 22% 39% 18% 13% 1% 7% 100%
Secondary 15% 40% 20% 17% 1% 7% 100%
Special 56% 28% 8% 5% 1% 1% 100%

Base: All parents whose child has SEND (n = 1630). Data table reference = 鈥渟endsystem_confident鈥.

We also asked how useful the SEND support that their child has received since September 2024 has been.

Figure 27: How useful SEND support has been

Phase Very useful Fairly useful Not very useful Not useful at all Prefer not to say Don鈥檛 know Total
Primary 23% 39% 14% 9% 2% 14% 100%
Secondary 16% 37% 19% 15% 3% 11% 100%
Special 55% 30% 6% 4% 1% 4% 100%

Base: All parents whose child has SEND (n = 1630). Data table reference = 鈥渟endsystem_useful鈥.

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鈥檚 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 鈥 that is 鈥樷 physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities鈥. 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.