Cost of uniforms and books anger parents

COSTLY uniform requirements and regular changes to book lists remain the biggest cause of anger among parents on the costs of sending their kids to school, a survey reveals.

The responses from almost 1,300 parents come as the cost of putting a child through school and college as been estimated at almost €63,000.

Parents are spending an average of €395 this month alone on back-to-school essentials but they believe these costs could be reduced in a number of ways. For example, 91% advocate the idea of school-crest badges being fixed to standard uniforms which could be bought in a supermarket.