Will back-to-school allowance be enough for hard-pressed parents? 

The increased back-to-school allowance gets paid today, but for many households the cost of living crisis means an added headache, writes  Jess Casey Education Correspondent

The use of credit cards to purchase back-to-school items is up by 6% to 23%, and a significant jump in the number of parents cutting back on extracurricular activities, rising to 67% from 46% last year. Picture: Danny Lawson

With the cost of getting a child back to school as much as €1,500, many households find themselves being forced into debt and the current cost-of-living crisis is going to see those families squeezed even further.

Last year, even before the inflation crisis, more than 50% of the parents who took part in the Barnardos survey said they were concerned about the back-to-school costs.