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Parentkind’s National Parent Survey 2026 found that 16% of children in the UK missed a school trip because of cost in the previous 12 months. The survey also found wide differences by household income and that 42% of parents did not know whether their child’s school offered financial help.
An estimated 1.7 million children across the UK missed a school trip because their parents could not afford it in the previous 12 months, according to Parentkind’s National Parent Survey 2026. The survey of 6,053 parents found that one in six children missed out, with children in the poorest households more likely to do so than children nationally.
The survey found that 16% of children overall had been unable to attend a school trip because of cost. Among children from the poorest households, the figure was 32%. The report also compared participation: 48% of children in the poorest households went on any school trip in the previous year, compared with 76% in the wealthiest households.
Cost-related missed trips were reported for 22% of secondary pupils, compared with 9% of primary pupils. The survey found the figure was 21% for children with special educational needs, or SEN, and 15% for children without SEN. Separately, 38% of children attended no school trips during the year. The report does not say that all of those children missed trips because of cost.
For parents whose children attended trips, reported average spending over the year was £80.19 on UK day trips, £235.95 on UK residential trips and £755.32 on overseas trips. Those are averages across each category over 12 months, not prices for a single trip. The survey estimated total parent spending on school trips at £2.3 billion across the UK in the previous year.
How Trip Costs Divide Participation
The figures point to a gap in children’s access to activities organised through school. Trips can take pupils to places outside the classroom and give them shared experiences with classmates. The survey does not measure the educational or social effects of missing a trip, but it shows that reported attendance differs substantially by household income.
The cost pressure sits alongside other school expenses. Parentkind’s survey found that 23% of parents had struggled to cover school costs, and 30% had cut back on other spending to afford them. These responses describe families’ reported experiences; they do not establish which costs caused any particular child to miss a trip.
The survey also found that 25% of children did not take part in any enrichment activities outside school, while three in ten parents said cost prevented their child from doing more. Taken together, the results raise questions about whether household finances affect children’s access to activities both during and beyond the school day.
What Parents Reported About School Support
Parents did not have a clear picture of whether schools could help with trip costs. Forty-two percent said they did not know whether their child’s school offered financial assistance. Another 36% said their school provided help, while 22% said it did not.
Responses also differed by income. Among parents in the poorest households, 34% said their school did not offer financial support, compared with 19% of parents in the wealthiest households. These are parents’ reports of what their schools offered; the survey summary does not describe how assistance was defined, how much was available, or how schools assessed applications.
The findings were reported as families settled into the new academic year and schools began sending trip information home. The survey covered 6,053 parents of school-aged children across the UK. Parentkind’s results capture answers from those respondents; the material provided does not include further details about the survey’s sampling method or fieldwork dates.
What the Survey Cannot Establish
The findings are based on parent survey responses. The source material does not provide a breakdown of the survey’s methodology, including how respondents were selected or how the income groups were defined. The figures should be read as survey results rather than a count of individually verified cases.
It is also unclear how many schools offer trip assistance, what form that help takes, or whether parents who did not know about support had been eligible for it. The survey records what parents said about school provision, but does not explain differences between schools or local areas.
The reported average spending covers each trip category over a year. It does not show the cost of a typical individual trip or explain how many trips families paid for. The finding that 38% of children took no trips also has several possible explanations; the report does not attribute every case to affordability.
Questions as Trip Letters Arrive
The source material does not announce a specific policy response, funding commitment or follow-up date. It says the findings draw attention to the need for families to know what assistance may be available. As schools send trip details during the academic year, the extent of support—and whether parents can access it—will depend on arrangements at individual schools.
For families facing a trip cost, the report advises contacting the child’s school privately to ask whether financial assistance is available and what options it can offer. The survey does not set out a national process for requesting help, so parents may need to ask their school directly about its arrangements.
Key Questions
How many children missed a school trip because of cost?
Parentkind’s 2026 survey estimated that 1.7 million UK children missed a school trip because their parents could not afford it. That was 16% of children in the survey during the previous 12 months.
Which children were more likely to miss a trip?
The survey reported that 32% of children in the poorest households missed a trip because of cost, compared with 16% nationally. It also reported higher figures for secondary pupils than primary pupils, and for children with SEN than for children without SEN.
How much did parents spend on school trips?
Parents whose children attended trips reported average spending over the previous year of £80.19 for UK day trips, £235.95 for UK residential trips and £755.32 for overseas trips. These are category averages across 12 months, not the price of one trip.
Do schools offer help with trip costs?
In the survey, 36% of parents said their school provided financial assistance, 22% said it did not, and 42% did not know whether help was available. The report recommends asking the school directly about its arrangements.
Source: rss
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