Back to school costs are a 'financial burden' for two-thirds of parents living in Leinster
Two thirds of Leinster parents (67%) say the cost of covering back to school is a financial burden - up 6% from last year
Parents in Leinster are spending €1,134 per primary school child and €1,511 on secondary school children
31% are getting debt, with an average debt of €327.
Three quarters (74%) of Leinster parents feel that schools don’t do enough to keep the costs of back to school down
Almost 25% are using credit cards to purchase back to school items
75% of Leinster parents will deny their children extracurricular activities because they can’t afford them, higher than the national average
National Back to School Costs
Parents spending €1,518 per secondary school child - up €27 on last year
At primary school level, parents are spending €1,195 - up €9 on last year
29% are getting into debt compared to 24% in 2021 - average debt of €339
1 in 10 (10%) of parents with school children are considering using an illegal moneylender, while 33% don’t know whether legal or illegal
Significant jump in number of parents cutting back on extracurricular activities, rising to 67% from 46% last year
Rising costs of living
87% of Leinster parents say income or household costs affected by rising costs of living
Over 90% seeing additional costs to groceries and utility bills
67% of parents are cancelling TV subscriptions and gym memberships
Just over a quarter (27%) are seeking to earn additional income
59% say increasing costs of food for children for school lunches is the biggest effect of the rising cost of living
7 in 10 Leinster parents say the cost of covering back to school is a financial burden, up 6% from last year. The cost of sending a child to primary school is €1,134 and €1,511 for a secondary school child.
The number of parents in debt over back to school costs in Leinster stands at 31%, 2% higher than the national average. Of these, nearly a quarter reported debts of over €500. The average debt parents find themselves incurring is €327, €12 less than the national figure.
72% of Leinster parents are relying on their monthly income to fund back to school costs, while nearly a quarter (23%) are using their credit cards. 4 in 10 are using their savings with 7% taking a credit union loan. Three quarters of parents in Leinster feel that schools don’t do enough to keep the costs of back to school down, the highest figure in the country.
Of considerable note in the survey is the sharp increase in parents saying they will deny their children extracurricular activities because they can’t afford them, rising to 75%, 8% ahead of the national average. The survey also revealed that 63% of Leinster schools are still seeking so called ‘voluntary contributions’ at €124 for primary schools and €146 for secondary, an overall average increase of €11 on last year.
While there is a slight decrease in the amount of Leinster parents shopping online for school supplies (65%, down 6% vs 2021), over two thirds of these parents (69%) do so to access better deals. Saving on petrol as a reason for shopping online has seen a significant jump to 32%, up 17% from last year. Other reasons include convenience (58%) and saving time (49%).
Rising Costs of Living
This year’s survey also looked at the rising costs of living in general. 87% of Leinster respondents have been affected by the rising costs of living since the start of the year. 91% in Leinster are seeing additional costs for groceries and 90% are experiencing increased costs on household utility bills.
4 in 10 (38%) are struggling to make their budget stretch to cover additional costs and when asked what options they were considering to help with costs, 67% of this group said they are cancelling or reducing non-essential services and activities such as gym membership and subscription TV packages. Other options include trying to earn additional income (27%) and taking a personal loan (15%).
When Leinster parents were asked if the rising costs of living were affecting the costs of education, 59% said the increasing costs of food for children for school lunches was having the biggest impact, followed by costs of new school uniforms (53%).
43% of Leinster parents with schoolchildren will have to balance working from either at home or the office with looking after their children over the school holidays. Nearly a half of these parents said they will be using annual leave allowance to balance work and school holidays.
Post COVID 19 Concerns
When asked about the impacts of home schooling during the pandemic lockdown on their children, 78% said that the biggest impact was that children missed their friends and social activities. Almost half said their child’s physical health had suffered while 56% agreed that a toll was taken on their children’s mental health.
As regards their child’s education, the biggest concern for parents is the pressure on their children to catch up on missed teaching over the past two years. Parents’ concerns of their child being exposed to COVID 19 as a result of returning to the classroom has reduced significantly to 24%.
Commenting on this year’s findings, ILCU Head of Communications, Paul Bailey said, “The costs of sending children to school this September are the highest since the ILCU started its annual survey in 2017. This, on top of the rising costs of living and high inflation, will heavily impact on households across the country. What is particularly concerning is the increase in the amount of parents reporting that they will go into debt to send their children to school.
“While two in three parents believe that schools don’t do enough to keep school going costs down, many are cutting back on extracurricular activities for their children to balance the books. Others are relying on savings or turning to family and friends for loans. We are also seeing a huge increase in the number of parents using their credit cards to purchase back to school items. As we know this is an expensive form of finance and I would urge parents to consider cheaper forms such as a credit union or bank loan.”