Schools in England have little money to spend. They have to cut back on things. The government has cut budgets. A head teacher in London cannot pay for cleaners or canteen staff. She has to help clean the toilets herself. She told reporters she was embarrassed because her school did not have enough money to support students. She has sold school land, cut subjects and fired teachers to keep her school open.
The London school is like many in the UK. Schools have made difficult decisions about how to spend their money. Schools wrote to millions of parents to explain there is no money. Schools asked parents to volunteer. Some schools asked parents for toilet paper and classroom basics. Students in one school get just one sheet of A4 paper a month. Teachers want to meet the education secretary, but he said no. The UK government said education is a priority.