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.

Half of the parentssurveyed are trying to save on the cost of uniforms for growing children by buying larger sizes, while similar numbers said they will search websites for free or second-hand books, school bags and uniforms this year — a 7% rise on the numbers who did so in 2010. The vast majority of those surveyed believe that frequent changes to the school book curriculum affect parents trying to save money by passing books on to their other children.

While schoolbook publishers have come forward with commitments to limit new editions to textbooks, families are not likely to see benefits until next year as schools issued their booklists before the summer holidays.

Overall, the expenses are slightly less than those in a similar survey for Bank of Ireland Life on the site Schooldays.ie last year. The reduction is mostly due to falls in average spending on primary uniforms, lunch bills, transport costs and a cut in the amount of pocket money families are giving their children.

Other adjustments being made by struggling families include changes to childcare arrangements, including after-school care, and reduced participation in extra-curricular activities.

While many families also save some of their child benefit — at least €140 a month per child — the numbers doing so has fallen from 30% a year ago to 24%. While there have been calls to have child benefit means-tested, 78% of parents said such a move would leave them in a difficult position.

The prospect of college tuition fees being re-introduced would mean 90% of parents having to borrow to fund a third-level education, but three-quarters already expect they will have to do so anyway. Although the €40,000-plus estimated cost of a four-year degree far outweighs the expense of primary and second-level education, only 37% of those surveyed have started saving for their children’s college years.

However, Bank of Ireland Life suggests families seek financial advice on how much to save regularly to meet these future expenses.

It projects that investing the monthly child benefit payment into one of its education plans from birth would provide a fund of just over €40,000 when a child reaches the age of 18.

The Department of Social Protection’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance has already been paid out this year to more than 130,000 families and applications are open until September. An estimated €82 million will be spent on the scheme this year, paying €200 per child for those at primary school and €305 for older children.