Parents 'lying awake at night' worrying about back-to-school costs

According to the Barnardos survey, the average cost of sending a fourth class pupil back to school this September was €320. This rose sharply for a first year entering secondary school at €972, and stood at €863 for a fifth year pupil.

Parents are lying awake at night worrying about how they will afford to send their children back to school this year, with the cost for a first year entering secondary school rising to just under €1,000, a new survey has found.

The results of the annual back-to-school survey by children’s charity Barnardos found that one in four (24%) parents of secondary school children are borrowing from financial institutions or from friends to meet back-to-school costs.

And, while the introduction of free schoolbooks for primary school children has reduced the cost of sending younger children to school, more than half (51%) of parents say that back-to-school costs this year are not manageable.

The findings of the report include:

• Cost-of-living increases in the likes of energy bills and grocery shopping have made it much harder for many parents to afford the cost of sending their back to school this September;
• The pressures on families have meant that one in four (24%) parents of secondary school children said they had to take out a loan or borrow from friends in order to meet back to school costs
• The introduction of free schoolbooks for primary school children was a welcome development that will relieve some pressure on those parents this year, but only half (49%) of parents agreed that the back-to-school costs this year would be “manageable”
• The average cost for the basics for a fourth class pupil is €320. This rises to €972 for a child entering first year of secondary school and €863 for a fifth year.

The charity said there was a direct correlation between the introduction of free schoolbooks and the reduction in back-to-school costs. Last year’s survey suggested that parents of a 4th class child were paying €424 in back-to-school costs.

There was a big rise this year for secondary school children in terms of the digital tools and subscriptions that are required, and a rise in the average voluntary contributions required in schools, the survey suggested. One-third (32%) of secondary school parents stated they had to pay over €300 for digital costs for their child.

The cost of uniforms is also high, with primary school children uniforms costing €117 on average and €204 for secondary pupils. Most parents said that uniforms were so costly because of the need to purchase branded or crested uniforms.

One in seven (14%) of primary school parents and over one in four (27%) of secondary school parents described themselves as “very concerned” at their ability to meet the costs this year.

It comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar vowed to protect children and families from poverty in the upcoming Budget through increased financial supports and a reduction in the cost of childcare.

Barnardos said the findings of its survey made clear that steps were needed from Government to support families.

CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “We are calling on the government to take further steps in providing free education by introducing free schoolbooks for all, ensuring all schools allow for low-cost uniforms, ending voluntary contributions and maintaining the recent increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.” 

According to the survey, the average cost of sending a fourth class pupil back to school this September was €320. This rose sharply for a first year entering secondary school at €972, and stood at €863 for a fifth year pupil.

Parents singled out the demands of paying for a school uniform that is branded or crested, costing as much as €232.

“It is very difficult and such a stressful time, the school requires both crested tracksuit and crested uniform with black shoes and trainers for tracksuit days,” one parent of a primary pupil said.

“I lie awake in bed with anxiety thinking how will we meet the uniform needs along with the grocery bill. We both work, me part-time, we have eaten through our savings since January due to the rise in the cost of living for everything. 

It’s a very worrying time in our lives with another child joining primary school in 2024 and wondering how will we cope?

The cost of iPads and tablets for the classroom was also singled out. 

A parent of a secondary student said: “The tablet and schoolbooks alone costs €700. The total costs will be around €1300. But now the school uniform and tracksuit will clear our budget for August.” 

The survey, now in its 18th year, reinforces calls from advocates for more supports for families in the upcoming Budget, and the Taoiseach said that ending child poverty is a “core ambition of this Government”.

Launching the first plan for the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office that he set up when he became Taoiseach in December, Mr Varadkar said a combination of financial supports as well as improved services is required.

"The first of the six areas that we're going to focus on is on family incomes," said Mr Varadkar who indicated that the working family payment and the qualified child (IQC) allowance will both increase.