Barnardos run an annual survey to gauge the cost of sending children to school. It’s a good opportunity for parents to show just how expensive books, uniforms and other items are; information which is sent, along with the comments, to the Department of Education. Last year, Barnardos and other charities lobbied for the cost of school books to come down, and real progress was made on that issue, with the Minister for Education working with publishers to reduce the number of new editions of schoolbooks.
This year, 987 parents responded to Barnardos’ School Costs Survey 2012 and have expressed frustration and anger at the continued high costs of sending children to school, as evidenced by this quote from one parent who completed the survey:
“We cut back on food and let other bills go unpaid to ensure children have what they need for school … we’re living on the edge all the time. So much for free education.”
Despite findings that in some cases costs have remained stable or reduced slightly since 2011, parents continue to struggle to meet schools’ demands with increasingly stretched household incomes. Now in its 7th year, Barnardos’ survey found that on average parents are paying €355 for a child in senior infants, €390 for children in 4th class in primary school and €770 for children going into first year in secondary school. School books and uniforms continue to pose the highest cost to parents, although voluntary contributions and school transport costs also weigh heavily on parents’ budgets.
The results of this survey, along with parents' comments have been sent to the Minister & Department of Education.
To read the full report details click here.
