Books for first-year students cost over €300

The burden of school book costs appears to be falling slightly but the outlay has risen to almost €300 for children starting second-level education.

The Barnardos school costs survey found that most parents spend an average of €76 to €100 on books for primary pupils, but the figure rises to over €300 for almost one in three with children at second-level. However, there are wide variations, with some parents of fourth-class pupils forking out €140 for books even though the average cost was closer to €85.

The average being paid for senior infants’ books this year was €75, down from €80 a year ago, and the €85 average for fourth class was down from €120 a year ago. However, first-year booklists were costing parents €300, €25 more than in the corresponding 2013 survey.