Some parents missing meals to cover back-to-school costs, Barnardos survey finds

Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly (right) with Sam Reid (left) and Poppy Deans (centre) at the launch of Barnardos’ Back to School Survey 2022. The charity is calling on the Government to introduce measures in the upcoming budget to alleviate the pressure families are under. Photo: Patrick Bolger

Many parents say they will be forced to go without or cut back on essentials this year to pay for their child’s back-to-school costs.

As the cost of living crisis deepens, more than two-thirds (69%) of primary and three-quarters (74%) of secondary school parents say they are worried about meeting school costs this year.

The latest annual Back-To-School survey released on Tuesday by Barnardos puts the basic cost of sending a child to secondary school for the first time this September at €814.

Surveying more than 1,100 parents, the annual research found the basic costs associated with 'free education’ remain substantial. The average cost for a fourth-class primary school pupil runs to €424, and for a fifth-year secondary school student at €722.   This is between schoolbooks, uniforms, digital and classroom resources, and ‘voluntary’ contributions.

One parent told the survey they “can't afford back-to-school costs without having to miss meals to cover it". Another parent said they were “ashamed to say we are going without eating and our necessities to ensure our children are looked after.” 

Another parent said: “It breaks my heart as we are a normal hardworking middle-class family but yet we are finding ourselves on the poverty line.” 

The majority of parents who took part in the survey did so before the Government announced the €100 increase to this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

However, a significant number of parents suggested the need to reduce the threshold for receiving this allowance, reporting that they are struggling to meet school costs but are not entitled to State support. This is because their income is considered too high, or they are not in receipt of any welfare support.

One of the biggest costs facing parents is their child’s school uniform, with many parents reporting that their child’s school still requires a ‘crested’ more expensive uniform. Parents are spending an average of €117 for primary school students, and €194 for secondary school students.

The average cost of schoolbooks in 2022 for primary school children is €110, rising to €207 for those in secondary school. The average ‘voluntary’ contribution asked of parents by schools was €81 for primary schools and €124 for secondary schools.

Almost half of the parents taking part said they would pay for some costs by juggling their budgets. Almost one-in-five said they will dip into their savings.

More than one-in-10 parents with a child in primary school, and almost one-in-five parents with a child in secondary school, said they will either get a professional loan or need to use a credit card. A further 9% of primary and 18% of secondary parents said they will have to borrow from friends and family.

One parent told the survey: 

I find it degrading that I have to borrow from people to get my child what he needs for school.

A mother of four children, three of whom attend primary school, told the survey she is facing huge household costs.  “Fuel, tax, insurance, the living costs in the home, heating food and electricity. We have no other choices to get children to school, it has gone beyond crazy at the cost of living these days.” 

Suzanne Connolly, Barnardos CEO, said the charity is calling on the Government to introduce measures in the upcoming budget to alleviate the pressure families are under. “No child should feel any anxiety about their parents’ ability to meet school costs.” 

While the increased back-to-school allowance is “welcome”, the charity believes the Government should provide a "genuinely free school system for all children.”  The government must provide adequate funding to schools so that they no longer have to rely on additional contributions from parents, Ms Connolly added. 

Barnardos is also calling for free schoolbooks, and to ensure all schools allow for affordable uniforms.