Will back-to-school allowance be enough for hard-pressed parents?
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.
One third of all parents said meeting costs was made more difficult during the Covid pandemic, and one in five said they take out some form of loan to pay for school costs.
More than half of primary school parents, and almost two-thirds of secondary school parents said the costs of uniforms rose last year. Many also reported the cost of books had increased between 2020 and 2021.
This year, the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) found more parents are getting themselves into debt, and one in ten are considering using an illegal moneylender.
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.
Almost 90% of parents said their income or household costs had been affected by rising costs of living, and more than 90% reported seeing additional costs to groceries and utility bills.
More than one-in-three parents said they are struggling to make their budget stretch to cover the additional cost of living increases.
When school-going costs are added the number who are struggling increases to 42%.
One in ten reported falling into debt in an effort to cover household costs.
So what are the costs? School books and uniforms are estimated to cost an average of €210 and €195 respectively.
Many parents surveyed also said they are still being charged ‘voluntary contributions’, estimated at the ILCU at €124 for primary schools and €146 for secondary.
Due to the current cost of living crisis, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance was recently increased by €100.
This means children aged between four and 11 are entitled to €260 through the scheme and older children will receive €385.
Payment has also been brought forward to today from August when it is usually paid.
Announcing the increases, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphries said the extra €100 per child will benefit 260,000 children.
The school meals programme, also run by the Department of Social Protection, is to be expanded to include the 310 new schools added to the DEIS scheme.
The programme, which includes hot meals and packed lunches, is currently provided to 230,000 children.
School transport fees have also been waived for the year, with Education Minister Norma Foley saying the move would provide families with savings of up to €500 on the cost of tickets.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the that any further measures will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.
One area that could be considered is the capitation grant, funding paid by the Department of Education, which goes towards the day-to-day running costs of a school including heating and lighting.
Funding shortfalls here contribute towards the need for schools to seek voluntary contributions from parents.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) estimates that primary schools receive a capitation grant of €1 per pupil per school day towards running costs, which they say covers only part of their bill.
Another area that could be considered as part of the upcoming budget is widening the schoolbooks scheme, which was allocated around €17m for the current school year.
Approximately 96% of all primary schools and 69% of all post-primary schools operate a book rental scheme.
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