Items cut from back-to-school lists over costs

One in four parents will be forced to deny their children basic school items in September.

The average back to-school outlay will be €1,209 per child, up from €1,185 last year, which is a 2% rise, according to a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions.

It shows that 20% of parents with primary school children and 31% of those with children attending secondary school intend cutting items from the back-to-school list.