Latest news with #BacktoSchoolSurvey
The Journal
18 hours ago
- General
- The Journal
'We had to sacrifice a summer holiday': Readers on the cost of sending kids back to school
'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 cost, 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, others 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 toldt he 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 facings 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. Advertisement A mother-of-two from Dublin told The Journa l 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 hoes, 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.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
7 days ago
- General
- The Journal
Money saved through free schoolbooks scheme is being swallowed up by school laptops, parents say
MONEY THAT PARENTS have been able to save on back-to-school costs through the government's free schoolbooks scheme is being swallowed up by the cost of schools requiring students to have electronic devices like a laptop or tablet, according to a new survey of parents. Parents struggling to afford mounting back-to-school costs are taking out loans or failing to make utility bill payments to try to keep up with the expense of the new school year beginning next month. A new Back to School Survey by children's charity Barnardos found that half of parents of primary school pupils are worried about affording the costs of returning to school this year. That figure rises to 60% of parents of secondary school students, with only 34% of secondary school parents feeling that the costs are manageable. Barnardos conducted an online survey of parents that received 830 responses. Respondents came from a 'representative geographic spread' across the country. Two-thirds had children in non-Deis schools and one-third had children in Deis schools. Two-thirds were living in married couples, whils 17% were on-parent households. 'We won't have enough money for all of it. I can't afford the costs for my kids,' said one primary school parent. Adding up the bill Barnardos asked parents how much they will need to spend on school costs this year. The average expected cost for uniforms, voluntary contributions and classroom resources amounted to €263 for primary schools and €406 for secondary schools. More expenses like school tours and trips, extra-curricular activities within schools and digital costs are expected to drive those totals up further. At secondary school level, parents anticipate that digital costs alone will set them back €430. Half of secondary school parents say their child's school requires them to buy digital devices. Some parents expressed that the benefit of the free schoolbooks scheme that is being extended to all secondary schools this year has been lost by schools using it as an opportunity to switch students over to working on tablets or laptops. Advertisement '[The] principal told the child's class that the money saved by free books, they can now spend on a laptop,' one secondary school parent said. Another said: 'My son is going into 5th year. This was the first time we were entitled to free schoolbooks, but then we were called to a meeting in the school where they advised that we would have to buy a ChromeBook for our child which cost €500, so there is no benefit for us for the free schoolbooks. If anything, the cost has gone up.' Minister for Education Helen McEntee has said almost one million students will get free schoolbooks from the start of the 2025/2026 school year. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The Barnardos report said that it is 'clear that some parents are concerned that savings made with the introduction of free schoolbooks is being eroded by digital costs while other parents simply expressed their concerns about the increasing costs of digital device It said that some parents 'appreciated that their children needed digital devices in their day to day lives' but 'felt those requested by the school were unnecessarily expensive'. 'There is a risk that some parents are facing difficult financial decisions and considerable sacrifices to afford these digital devices,' it said. No parent should face financial hardship as a result of these costs. 'The Department of Education must further investigate the use of these devices across schools; how many mandate expensive items, and explore piloting a digital tools fund for low income parents.' Voluntary contributions Another unpopular expense is the 'voluntary contributions' that many schools request parents make. 78% of primary and 84% of secondary school parents said that their schools requested a voluntary contribution. The average amount was €87 for primary school parents and €133 for secondary school parents. However, 73% of primary and 78% of secondary school parents said the payment did not feel voluntary. On top of voluntary contributions, more fundraising events throughout the school year put continued pressure on parents, who said that the government must do more to ensure that schools are properly funded from the top down rather than needing to turn to parents for money. 'Every month, it feels like there is a fee due for something,' one primary school parent said. 'I feel the school has to fundraise through the parent council to meet basic needs that the government should be covering the cost of.' Related Reads Four in ten parents say they skipped meals or ate less to feed their children this year Finding the funds Staring down the face of back-to-school costs, parents have had to come up with ways to make ends meet. More than one-quarter of secondary school parents and 14% of primary school parents said they'll be dipping into their savings to afford the cost of sending their kids back to school. For more than one in ten (15%) of secondary parents, the answer has been to take out a loan or borrow from family and friends. That number is lower among primary school parents (8%). Additionally, many parents have decided to go without meeting other needs or cutting back on other essentials, with some saying they won't be able to pay other bills because of needing to divert money to school costs. 'My regular bills are not going to be paid in order to meet back to school costs,' one secondary school parent said. Another secondary school parent said: 'I will not pay gas and electric bill in August, I will borrow a loan and use [buy now, pay later with interest services] to get as much as I can for back to school items.' 'I will go into debt until March the following year until it's all paid back, then it repeats again in August. My worries are if I can keep this up year after year,' they said. And another one said: 'I juggle finances all of the time. I worry that I will not be able to afford utility bills in September/October to cover school costs. I have credit card debt which will increase in August.' One primary school parent said that the 'cost of the uniforms and all the supplies at once means we have no expendable income for the month'. 'We are on a very tight budget as we have three kids,' they continued. 'Everything has gone so expensive. I'm going to have to skip paying some bills to be able to afford everything,' another said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
