Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs The Smith Family Pulse Survey 2023-24
Cost-of-living increases continue to add to educational challenges for children, according to latest survey.
Thousands of Australian children could miss out on essential items for learning as cost-of-living increases are making it harder for parents to afford all the things their children need for their education.
A second consecutive year of escalating living costs has meant another difficult time for families experiencing disadvantage, with nearly 90% of survey participants saying they are worried about being able to afford all the school essentials their children will need in 2024, and almost three in five (56.4%) of parents saying they found it hard or harder to afford all the school essentials their children needed in 2023.
The findings are revealed in the latest Smith Family Pulse Survey, a national survey of more than 2,200 parents and carers whose children are supported by The Smith Family. They were asked questions about their children’s experience of school during the year and how they had coped with the expenses involved.
This is the fourth Pulse survey to be carried out by The Smith Family. The first survey presented the perspective of The Smith Family’s frontline team members; all the following surveys spoke to the families who are supported through The Smith Family. The survey is repeated annually to provide a snapshot of families’ changing circumstances and hear directly from parents and carers about issues affecting their children’s education.
This is the fourth Pulse survey to be carried out by The Smith Family. The first survey presented the perspective of The Smith Family’s frontline team members; all the following surveys spoke to the families who are supported through The Smith Family. The survey is repeated annually to provide a snapshot of families’ changing circumstances and hear directly from parents and carers about issues affecting their children’s education.
KEY FINDINGS:
- 88.3% of parents and carers were worried about being able to afford all the things their children will need for the 2024 school year.
- Over 51.2% think their children are likely to miss out on essential digital devices needed for schoolwork because they won’t be able to afford them in 2024.
- 56.3% of respondents said they found it harder to afford all the things their children needed for school in 2023.
- 52.3% of respondents said the increased cost of everyday expenses such as groceries, petrol and rent was the main reason it was harder to afford school items.
- Over a third of parents and carers said school had been hard or very hard for their children in 2023. The main reasons cited for this were school issues, health and mental health issues, and other social issues.
- A combined 53.9% cited their children’s need for more things for school or their need the same things that were now more expensive as the reason for decreased affordability.
Families worried about being able to afford back to school costs in 2024
Thousands of Australian children could miss out on essential items for learning as they head into the new school year. With families increasingly worried about the effect of cost-of-living increases on their household budgets, parents are concerned they won’t be able to afford school necessities such as digital devices, internet access, school supplies, uniforms and shoes.
Nearly nine out of ten parents and carers (88.3%) are worried to some degree about being able to afford all the things their children will need for school this year. Of these, three in ten (30.0%) are very worried, almost a third (31.7%) are somewhat worried and 26.7% were a little worried.
How do you feel about being able to afford all the things your child/ren will need for school in 2024?
More than half of respondents (51.2%) think their children are likely to miss out on the digital devices needed for their schoolwork because they won’t be able to afford them. One in six (16.6%) think their children will miss out on internet access for schoolwork. Nearly half (45.6%) are worried that they won’t be able to afford the right uniform or shoes for their children. Four in ten (40.2%) of respondents fear their children will miss out on extra-curricular activities such as music or sport. A third (32%) are concerned they won’t be able to afford to pay for school excursions. And one in five (18.3%) think their children will miss out on other school supplies, such as exercise books and stationery.
Which school items are your child/ren likely to miss out on?
With the cost of everything going up I struggle really hard to pay for my basic household bills and have given whatever I can. But I feel like I still can’t provide the everyday things for my son to make him feel like he fits in with his friends and give him the same life as they have.
Getting to and from school as I can't afford to fix our car and it takes her two buses which [means] she has to leave at 7.50am.
Not being able to do things that cost money on the weekend with friends has impacted her social life. Not having enough money to buy clothes or get her new glasses.
Cost-of-living increased made school less affordable in 2023. Feedback from parents and carers show cost of living impact
View 2022-23 survey results
Cost of living increase made it harder for families to meet school costs in 2023
Nearly three in five (56.3%) parents and carers said they had found it harder to afford all the things their children needed for school during 2023. As with last year’s results, the main reason (52.3%) cited for this related to increased costs of everyday expenses such as petrol, groceries and rent.
How easy or hard has it been to afford all the things your child/ren need for school this year?
Over a quarter (27.7%) said 2023 was harder because their children needed more things for school or more expensive things. And 26.2% said that while their children need the same things for school, the costs of those items had increased.
Why has it been hard to afford things for school this year?
School didn’t get easier in 2023
Over a third of respondents said that school had been hard or very hard for their children in 2023. The reasons for this varied but generally related to health (including mental health and disability issues) and social issues related to school such as bullying and making friends.
How easy or hard has school been for your child/ren this year?
Struggling with schoolwork was also a significant factor in making the school year hard. As was financial pressures. Other issues at school includes things like transitioning to high school, general motivation, digital access and behavioural issues.
Why has school been hard for your child/ren this year?
Year 9 is proving to be the hardest socially, emotionally and academically. Motivation is at an all time low and broken BYODs (bring your own devices) waiting for repairs and finances to repair, hasn’t helped.
My eldest is in Year 11 doing VCE, the workload and lack of support in understanding the work tasks [and] support in helping mental health during exams, has been very difficult for him.
[My children] are both finding the large classrooms and disruptive students challenging. Due to both children needing extra support, they are missing out as the teachers are busy with the more challenging [students].
But there’s plenty to celebrate
Despite it being a tough year for many families, their children still made significant progress in a range of areas that made their parents proud.
What are you most proud of when you think about your child/ren's schooling this year?
The most commonly cited cause of pride for parents and carers was seeing the progress their children had made in their learning. This was followed by the effort their children were making at school and the level of their children’s achievement.
[My child] struggling with mental health just keeps trying again, every day, and explores other help when what she has isn’t working. So proud of her courage to keep aiming for better and better attendance.
How resilient and persistent my child has proved himself to be, facing all the learning challenges he has endured.
Hopes for 2024
Looking to 2024, survey respondents had a number of hopes for their children’s education.
What are your hopes for your child/ren's education in 2024?
Unsurprisingly, the biggest responses were that their children to achieve good or improved academic results (30.1%) or feel good about their education (18.6%).
“That they catch up on their schoolwork and learn more next year.”
“To enjoy school and be able to attend with confidence every day. To participate to their personal best.”
One in nine (11.4%) respondents hope their children would achieve their goals, follow their dreams and succeed in 2024.
“To succeed in the new year ahead with hopes and dreams to be able to do what they want leading to the career paths they want.”
Another 11% just want their children to put in the effort or attend school consistently in 2024.
“To continue trying their hardest to be the best they can be.”
More details about this survey
The Smith Family Pulse Survey is an annual survey of parents and carers about how their children are faring at school and any issues affecting their children’s education. The survey is open to parents whose children are currently supported through our Learning for Life education support program, which provides emotional, practical and financial support to young Australians experiencing disadvantage. This survey was conducted between 6-20 September 2023 and there were 2,284 respondents.