Time in the classroom, or time in the sun?
Stay up to date with our policy, research and media work as we champion the voices of parents and influence the issues that matter most to families
Time in the classroom, or time in the sun?
For too many families, the choice between creating lasting memories and maintaining perfect school attendance is becoming increasingly difficult.
Our forthcoming National Parent Survey 2026 reveals the financial pressures many parents face during the school holidays:
• Two million parents have taken their child out of school to afford a term-time holiday
• More than a quarter of parents were unable to afford a family holiday in the last year
• Half of parents would support reducing the summer holiday to five weeks and moving an additional week elsewhere in the school year
These findings highlight the tough decisions families face to balance rising costs, work commitments and opportunities to spend quality time together.
This September, our National Parent Survey 2026 will share more insights into parents ' experiences, the challenges they are navigating, and the conversations we need to be having to better support families.
You can read last year’ s survey at nationalparentsurvey. com
We are really pleased to have gathered the views of more than 6,000 parents in the UK for the National Parent Survey – giving us strong insights into parents’ views across the country.
Working with YouGov, a nationally respected polling agency, the National Parent Survey will publish nationally representative data on:
• School trip destinations and costs
• School and parent engagement, including messaging groups and parents’ evenings
• Costs of schooling such as uniforms, technology, and school meals
• Enrichment activities including after-school clubs
Look out for our publication this September, and more coverage of our findings. As the voice of parents in education, we make the survey findings freely available to give parents a voice in education debates and offer an authoritative, up-to-date insight into parents’ views across the UK.
Stay up to date with our policy work by following us on LinkedIn: linkedin. com / company / parentkind Photography: iStock. com / AzmanL
PARENTKIND. ORG AUTUMN / WINTER 2026 9