UK: Underfunding Forces Teachers to Buy Student Supplies

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), one in five teachers in the United Kingdom (UK) buys classroom supplies with their own money, at least once a week.

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The most common out-of-pocket purchases made by teachers are stationary, arts and crafts materials, and books. The survey, which the teachers' union's 4,386 members participated in, also indicated that 45% of the educators purchased essential items for students, such as food and clothes, in 2018.

Reimbursement is also rare, with only one-third of respondents saying they were partially compensated for their purchases.

Teachers in Britain have been outspoken when addressing what they call a "funding crisis" to parents and government officials alike. In response, U.K. ministers have committed to prioritizing school funding for the upcoming spending review.

Lack of funding is the main reason, stated by teachers, for using their own money to buy student materials; some 53%. The remaining responses were almost evenly split between out-of-date materials and schools reassigning money elsewhere.

According to one teacher who participated in the survey, they are constantly "told there is no money for anything, all departmental budgets have been frozen and all the stockrooms are empty." The teachers added that once the basic resources that are allocated at the start of the term have run out, the choice falls on personally undertaking the purchases or operating without necessary supplies. 

The lack of resources affects students, some of who are unable to take textbooks home.

"We cannot afford for items to be lost - so we deprive students of the chance for self-directed study for those who are motivated." Students who express this level of academic potential either have to rely on teachers or parents to invest in them, rather than the institutions. 

While the expenses can start off small, one teacher pointed out that "small amounts do add up during the year."

While some might say teachers are not obligated to spend their own money on resources, it has become an expectation; one teacher references receiving a low lesson evaluation due to lack of relevant resources, despite having spent around US$20 on outside materials. 

Spending often comes from the teachers' goodwill and sense of duty to protect and provide their students with a safe environment that is conducive to learning. This also results in teachers spending personal money on non-academic related items.

"The worst thing to experience as a teacher is watching a hungry child who is in receipt of free school meals, having to stand and watch their friends eat breakfast before school or have snacks at morning break." 

One teacher even admits to having provided money to a student for them to repair their shoes. General secretary of the NASUWT, Chris Keates, stressed that "teachers care deeply about the pupils they teach and will go to great lengths to ensure their needs are being met."