Over €1,000 to send three children to school

THE cost of sending three children to school this autumn is likely to exceed €1,000, according to parents’ representatives.

And that’s just for the basics. Not included are the add-on costs of bus fares, lunches, school tours, extra-curriculum activities, and after-school care.

Chief executive of the National Parents Council (primary) Fionnuala Kilfeather said funding schooling often placed a huge financial strain on parents, “especially after the summer holidays when money is tight.”