Parents of children going into fourth class will spend more than €700 on back-to-school costs in the coming weeks, while those with children starting secondary school will spend more than €1,100, according to new research from children’s charity Barnardos.
Its annual costs survey put those for primary children at €725 when uniforms, school trips, classroom materials, voluntary contributions and extracurricular activities are totted up, while those for older children were an estimated €1,113.
When the children’s charity carried out similar research a decade ago, the same items for a child in fourth class were €400, while parents of children entering secondary school spent an average of €785.
The research, published on Wednesday, suggests 50 per cent of parents of primary schoolchildren and 60 per cent of parents with children in secondary school are worried about meeting costs. Just 34 per cent said they will be manageable.
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The research also found that 27 per cent of parents of older children and 14 per cent of primary school parents have to use savings to meet back-to-school costs, with 15 per cent of secondary and one in 10 of primary school parents taking out loans to cover the expense.
Barnardos welcomed developments in recent years, including free schoolbooks, hot meals and increased capitation grants, but said many parents remain concerned about costs. This was particularly so in relation to uniforms, voluntary contributions and, for secondary school parents, the increasing cost of digital devices.
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On average this year, primary school parents spent €125 on uniforms, and secondary school parents spent €199.
The biggest issue identified by parents were schools’ insistence on expensive crested items instead of generic clothing. Children growing through uniforms, particularly shoes, during the course of the school year and the fact many schools have tracksuits as well as day-to-day uniforms were also identified as problematic.
Almost three-quarters of primary school parents and 92 per cent of secondary school parents said their children had to wear crested/branded uniforms. Only 34 per cent of primary school parents said their school offered an affordable uniform option, with only 14 per cent of secondary school parents saying the same.
Barnardos welcomed the rollout of free schoolbooks to all primary and secondary schools, saying it had made “a real difference to families across the country”. However, the charity said many schools still require parents to pay for classroom resources averaging €74 for secondary schools and €51 for primary schools.
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The vast majority of schools request a voluntary contribution, with the average amount asked by primary schools put at €87 and €133 by secondary schools.
A total of 73 per cent of primary and 78 per cent of secondary school parents said the payment did not feel voluntary.
A significant number of parents raised the issue of having to pay for school tours and additional extracurricular activities, and highlighted how such costs could come up suddenly. On average, the cost was €144 for secondary and €64 for primary school.
