“I FEEL EXTREMELY stressed about the cost of sending my children back to school this year”.

These are the words of Dee, from Dublin, and it’s a feeling shared by many of our readers who told The Journal they are struggling to afford to send their children to school this September.

Half of all parents are worried about back to school costs, according to a Back to School Survey released this week from children’s charity Barnardos. For parents with teens in secondary school, this figure rose to 60%.

However, other parents said with the help of the free school meals and free books scheme, back to school costs have been fairly manageable this year.

Expenses

A sole mother from the Midlands told The Journal she had to fork out €650 for a tablet her daughter was required to have to start secondary school. The cost meant the family could not take a summer holiday.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said installments could not be paid through the school, only through the payment app Klarna, and as she did not want to use the app, she had to pay the full cost of the tablet by the end of June.

“This was a big chunk of money that had to be paid before she even finished primary school.

“The money came out of savings and we had to sacrifice a summer holiday abroad.”

“I don’t understand how a tablet can be so expensive or why there is not a refurbished tablet option.”

She said that although she received the back to school allowance, it only covered the €300 spent on her daughter’s jumper, tie, trousers and gym gear, with nothing left over to pay for shoes, shirts, a tablet case and voluntary contribution fees.

Dee – the mother from Dublin – said she is already facing costs of over €720 to pay for books, voluntary contribution fees and after-school costs for two of her children. She hasn’t included the cost of new school clothes yet.

“What would really help families like mine is if the government properly funded schools so parents weren’t left covering gaps through ‘voluntary’ fees and long booklists,” she said.

Manageable costs

Some parents said programmes like the free school meals scheme have helped reduce costs Shutterstock Shutterstock

However some parents, particularly those with primary school aged children attending non-uniform schools, feel back to school costs are becoming more manageable.

A mother-of-two from Dublin told The Journal her children have no uniform or school book costs in their Educate Together primary school. She also won’t have to worry about lunch expenses as her kids receive free hot lunches.

She said the main expense is a €150 voluntary contribution fee which can be paid in monthly installments.

Another mother told The Journal she feels expenses are reasonable if clothes, bags and lunchboxes are reused for several years rather than replaced every year.

She estimates that she will spend around €150 on back to school costs for her primary school aged daughter this year. However, her daughter’s school provides books and stationary and does not require a crested uniform.

Daithi, a primary school teacher based in Munster, feels that schools are now shouldering much of the burden on behalf of parents in preparing their children for the new school term. He highlighted the free schoolbooks and hot meals programmes in particular.

Lack of support

Other parents said they are struggling to afford costs for their children's basic back to school needs Shutterstock Shutterstock

Many parents highlighted issues with the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

The allowance is a means tested social welfare payment which provides eligible families €160 for children aged four to eleven and €285 for children aged 12 years and over in second level education.

Speaking to The Journal, a mother-of-two based in Westmeath said that although she is a full-time carer to her two children with autism, she and her husband were denied the back to school allowance.

She said they cannot cover the cost of the extracurricular activities, transport, therapies and extra equipment needed to support her children in school due to their additional needs and have been forced to fundraise for them.

“These therapies are integral to our kid’s regulation and wellbeing due to being special needs, but we get no extra help,” she said.
“Special needs and autistic children need extra supports and extra equipment, for example chew toys, incontinence products, weighted vests, ear defenders and comfort items. These things are so expensive, it really adds up.”

“I don’t feel like we are asking for much from the government to make the back to school allowance available to every child in school, regardless of parent’s income,” she said.
Dee, from Dublin, said that as a part time worker and full time carer she falls “just outside the income threshold but still struggles with real life costs” – something she said many carers and low-income families experience.

“That grant would have made a huge difference. It would be such a relief if the allowance wasn’t means-tested, or if it were paid as a top-up to child benefit, particularly for family carers and those on the edge financially,” she said.

“Education is supposed to be free but it doesn’t feel that way.”

Two of Dee’s four children are homeschooled, and although this saves money on uniform costs, she said she spends a lot on home education resources.

“I cover all books, resources, and activities myself. Home educating isn’t a cheaper option it just receives no help at all,” she said.

Another mother from Dublin said that her husband’s pay rise, which only amounted to €30 extra per year, reduced her disability allowance from €220 to €65 per month and made her ineligible to receive the back to school allowance.

A mother-of-two who works in a school canteen said she has been driven to the “depths of depression” trying to fund her children’s back to school needs as canteen employees are not paid during the summer months.

“Already dreading Christmas, let alone trying to buy a new winter coat and good shoes for my children,” she said.

Parent highlighted the expense of school uniforms and shoes, as well as costs for therapies, extracurricular activities and tablets. Shutterstock Shutterstock

Cost reduction strategies

A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Youth told The Journal that schools are expected to follow guidance from the department on reducing costs for parents.

This guidance includes using school uniform items which are generic and affordable, regularly consulting with parents on ways to reduce costs and providing a full list of required items to parents, with guidance on best-value options.

On voluntary contributions, they said: “Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition.”

They said that from the beginning of this school year all children and young people enrolled in primary, post-primary and special schools in the Free Education Scheme will receive schoolbooks and core classroom resources at no cost.

They added that although schools have flexibility in their use of digital devices, they are advised to consult with parents and the wider school community when developing these policies.

They also highlighted that the government provides funding to provide children with additional needs access to transport and assistive technology. It plans to extend education therapy services to special schools, and then schools with special classes.

“These measures are all part of the department’s ongoing commitment to reduce financial pressure on families and ensure every student is supported to achieve their full potential.”