This report is based on original teacher survey data collected directly from UK teachers through the OnlyForTeachers platform. All insights and findings are unique to our community.
Published: Nov 2025 | Source: OnlyForTeachers original survey data
This report is based on original survey data collected directly from UK teachers through the Only for Teachers platform. All insights and findings are unique to our community. Published: 2nd November 2025 | Source: Only for Teachers original survey data
The ongoing discussion around school budget cuts in the UK often revolves around high-level fiscal policy and the National Funding Formula (NFF). While recent government figures point to nominal increases in education spending, independent analysis from bodies such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) consistently warns that rising costs—driven by teacher pay rises, spiralling energy bills, and increased Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision—continue to outstrip funding growth. This financial squeeze, described by some sector leaders as a “death by a thousand cuts,” is no longer theoretical. An exclusive survey conducted by Only for Teachers reveals the granular, day-to-day impact of these constraints on the student experience, confirming that resources critical to learning are being systematically withdrawn. The most significant finding illustrates the depth of the crisis: 73% of teachers have personally observed or experienced a reduction in the availability or quality of essential learning resources due to budgetary restrictions.
Essential learning resources: The reality of depletion
The impact of austerity measures hits the classroom floor most acutely in the form of depleted essential learning resources. These are the fundamental tools of education: the textbooks, laboratory consumables, art supplies, and basic classroom materials that underpin effective pedagogy. The fact that nearly three-quarters of teachers report a decline in these essentials demonstrates that school leaders are being forced to make cuts in core provision to balance their accounts.
This immediate resource constraint is compounded by the struggle to maintain technological standards. When asked about their IT provision, 64% of teachers reported that their school’s IT equipment was either ‘Mostly insufficient’, ‘Completely insufficient’, or ‘Neither sufficient nor insufficient’. In an era where digital literacy is central to both the curriculum and the national economy, this lack of confidence in sufficient and up-to-date IT equipment creates a significant structural disadvantage for students.
The reliance on outdated materials and technology directly undermines the quality of teaching, placing additional pressure on teachers to create resources from scratch, thereby exacerbating the national teacher retention crisis fuelled by an unmanageable workload.
Curriculum reduction and the disadvantaged pupils divide
The survey also confirms that budget pressures are eroding the breadth of educational provision, moving beyond simple supplies to curtailing opportunities vital for personal development and academic choice. Over half of the professional community surveyed (55%) reported that extracurricular activities—such as sports clubs, school trips, and arts programmes—have been cut or reduced to a slight, moderate, or significant extent.
Furthermore, while the reduction is not widely reported, from our survey 27% of teachers stated that their school has reduced the number of curriculum choices (e.g., GCSE, A-Level subjects, vocational courses) offered to students due to budget constraints in the last academic year. The removal of subjects, often in arts or less popular humanities, risks narrowing the academic pathway for many learners.
This reduction in both resources and choice brings the issue of equity into sharp focus. The profession is split, with 45% of teachers believing that these reductions disproportionately affect specific groups, such as disadvantaged pupils and SEND pupils. Schools serving the most deprived communities frequently rely on high-quality, funded extracurriculars to provide the cultural and enrichment capital that affluent peers access privately. The removal of these opportunities in state schools directly widens the existing attainment gap, contradicting recent political pledges to level up educational outcomes across the country.
Conclusion and professional takeaway
The findings of this survey provide irrefutable evidence that the financial pressure on UK schools is translating into tangible cuts across essential learning resources and vital educational opportunities. The high percentage of teachers reporting resource depletion serves as a robust professional counterpoint to government narratives on funding stability.
The core challenge now facing the system is not merely how to keep schools open, but how to ensure they remain places where rich learning is possible for every child. The data is a clear mandate directed at the highest levels of governance: policy cannot effectively achieve ambitious national education goals while simultaneously allowing the existing school budget cuts to erode the basic provision needed for quality teaching. The focus must urgently shift to systemic investment and structural reform to ensure that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and SEND pupils, have equal access to the full curriculum and the resources necessary to succeed.
We urge all teachers to participate in next week’s survey, ensuring the professional voice remains the authoritative source in the national education debate.
Our Methodology
About This Survey
All insights published on OnlyForTeachers come directly from teachers across the UK. Each week, we run original surveys on topics that matter most to educators — from classroom practice and workload to wellbeing and policy changes.
Who Takes Part
Participants are active UK teachers who have registered with OnlyForTeachers. Every response remains fully anonymous.
How We Collect Data
Our surveys are designed and distributed weekly through the OnlyForTeachers platform. Questions are short, relevant, and built to capture honest opinions efficiently. Each survey typically runs for one week, and responses are gathered using secure, GDPR-compliant forms.
Data Integrity
We ensure one response per teacher, prevent duplicate entries, and apply basic data cleaning before publishing results. No weighting or external adjustments are made — what you see reflects the real voices of UK teachers.
How We Analyse & Publish
Responses are aggregated and summarised by the OnlyForTeachers research team. Results are published exclusively on our website and social channels and are original to this community. When relevant, we also feature selected teacher comments to add qualitative insights.
Use of Insights
You’re welcome to reference or cite our findings in your articles, research, or policy papers — please credit: “Source: OnlyForTeachers – Original UK Teacher Survey Insights”