Teachers are paying for school resources from their own pockets to plug the funding gap, a survey has revealed.

Virtually all school staff in England are paying out for equipment and books says the survey by the National Education Union.

More than 1,800 staff responded to the survey, carried out in August and September, which revealed that 94 per cent paid for classroom resources or equipment from their own pocket in the last school year, with a third saying they spent more last year than in previous years.

Nearly two-thirds said they did so because their school did not have enough funds.

More than a quarter of them spent between £101 and £500 of their own money on school resources last year and nearly a third between £51 and £100.

Seven in ten - 73 per cent - said they paid for stationery, 58 per cent said they bought books and 43 per cent bought art materials.

Nearly 40 per cent of respondents said their school asked parents for money to help with school funding last year.

Sixty-eight per cent said their school asked parents to pay to attend school concerts and sports events, 22 per cent said school had asked parents to pay for books, with similar numbers asking parents to pay for design technology and art materials.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Staff have always been willing to spend some of their own money for the odd item such as prizes for children, but the funding cuts are digging deep.

"This is making it hard for schools to manage without being subsidised by staff and parents.

"Parents should not be expected to pay for their children’s education or risk their children missing out on school trips or seeing them perform in school sports if they cannot afford to pay.

"And it is wrong to rely on the good will of staff, who have seen their own pay fall over the past ten years, to meet the shortfall.

"The Government needs to fund schools adequately so children can enjoy a full curriculum in properly resourced schools."

One head of English in a south coast secondary school, said: “We are being asked to pay for paper towels to dry hands and wipe up spillages.

"We are also increasingly bringing in our own computers as there is no money to update the aged machines in the school.

"We look back with nostalgia on the days when the school provided tea, coffee and even food before parents' evenings and when we had cutting edge technology in our classrooms."

- Do you know anywhere in Bournemouth, Poole or the rest of Dorset where this is happening? Or are you a teacher who has paid for school equipment? Email digital@bournemouthecho.co.uk to tell us about it, or comment below