Parents cut back on food to pay back-to-school bills

It costs on average of €967 to send a child back to primary school and €1,474 for secondary school, with more than one in 10 parents cutting food bills in order to cover the costs.

An Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) study found the money needed to get youngsters ready for the new term in August and September has soared since 2012.

Three-quarters of parents told researchers they do not think schools are doing enough to keep costs down. However, they are doing more themselves to reduce the bills, as numbers shopping online for back-to-school items are up significantly to 60%, from just under a half a year ago.