Back To School - Ireland´s Comparison Website.

BACK TO SCHOOL COSTS FOR IRISH FAMILIES

Irish families spending on average €400 per child to go back to school

On average school uniforms incl. shoes (€229) and schoolbooks (€182) are the biggest school related expenses for Irish parents

75% of parents are asked to make voluntary contributions of €130 on average

9 out of 10 parents surveyed want to see a switch to laptops and e-books in the classroom to save money 

As parents of school going children brace themselves ahead of the back to school shopping season, the Irish League of Credit Unions has taken a look at just what the costs for both primary and secondary school children are.

In 2011, a typical Irish family will spend approximately €400 on each child when getting them ready to go back to school in September with back-to-school expenditure for a second-level student is almost 50% higher than for a primary-level pupil.

Commenting on the research findings, Kieron Brennan, ILCU CEO said: “The cost of school going children to parents is considerable and can put significant pressure on household budgets and the ability of some families to pay their essential bills. This iReach research shows us that there are significant numbers of parents using their credit cards and using their savings to pay for their child’s back to school needs, with many parents feeling that the back to school allowance is not sufficient to cover costs.

We were surprised at the number of parents that would like to see their children using laptops and or e-books in the classroom and this may be part of a growing trend whereby parents are looking to technology to save on the costs of school books. Claremorris Credit Union recently announced a partnership with St Colman's College in Claremorris to make history by becoming the first school in Ireland to introduce the truly digital classroom following its decision to replace textbooks and school bags with Apple’s iPad tablet device.  In time this is something which could be looked at more closely by the education system and by Government as a possible way to reduce costs in future for families.”

He Continued: Ultimately, we urge parents to shop around for the best value in back to school items like school books and uniforms. We recommend that you check what you have left over from last year and then make a list of everything you need to buy and stick to that list. 8% of those surveyed already speak to their credit union about back to school finance and budget management, so if you want advice on budgeting or some guidance on applying for a loan, visit your local credit union and talk to a member of staff.”

Some of the key highlights of the research, undertaken by iReach Market Research on behalf of the Irish League of Credit Unions are outlined below:

Overall Spend

A typical Irish family spends approximately €400 on each child when getting them ready to go back to school in September. Irish parents are spending approximately (€470) for a second-level student and €320 for a primary level pupil. The overall cost for secondary school is almost 50% higher than for primary school.

Most Expensive School Items

School uniforms and books are perceived as a heavy burden for Irish parents. Parents of a secondary school child pay almost twice as much for schoolbooks (€238) than for a primary school child (€125). Costs of uniforms are perceived to be equally significant by both types of parents. Uniform costs for a secondary school child is on average €281 compared to primary at €177.

Extracurricular expenses can represent a noticeable financial burden for primary and secondary school children - primary school children at €145 secondary school children €152 on average.

9 in 10 (88%) parents express a preference for laptops or e-book readers to become part of the in class educational experience. Laptop use is highly desired by Irish parents in both primary (87%) and secondary (89%) if it negates the cost of school books.

Preferred Method of Back to School Financing

46% of parents use monthly income to source back to school necessities. However, 54% of parents are forced to locate finances for back to school from elsewhere – Credit Cards 16% / Savings 13% / Back to School Allowance 12% / Credit Unions 7% (average)

Parents of secondary level children are more likely to dip into their savings (15%) or use credit cards (20%)

Almost two-thirds of parents (65%) admitted that back-to-school costs will adversely impact their holiday plans and bills management. Eight in ten parents (81%) who are entitled for back-to-school allowance admitted that this is insufficient

School Fees and Voluntary Contributions

76% of parents are requested to make voluntary contributions that amount to €130 on average per child. While primary schools are more likely to request voluntary contributions (83%) than secondary (70%), secondary school parents are obliged to pay higher contributions (€158) than parents of a primary school child (€102).

9% of Irish parents send their child(s) to a fee paying school (5% primary school and 13% secondary school). School fees on average stand at €1,750 for primary school and € 4,750 for secondary school.

Shopping for Better Value

When it comes to cutting back-to-school related costs:

35% of those survey shop online for back to school items. Of this cohort,  (61%) shop online for back-to-school items to save money; 35% felt it was more convenient to shop this way.

Four in ten parents (38%) feel pressured to buy branded school items over generic ones for their children

Dunnes Stores (28%), followed by Marks & Spencer (24%) is most popular for value-for-money school clothing followed by Pennys 19% and Tesco 15%

Back to School Allowance

One fifth of parents of school age children are entitled to the Back to School Allowance. However three quarters (81%) admitted that the allowance they receive is insufficient to cover their children’s back to school needs.

School Support to Parents

Over two thirds of parents (69%) believe that Irish schools do not support parents in keeping costs down for their school going children. These negative attitudes were more pronounced among parents of secondary school children (71%)

Implications of Back to School Costs on Families

Almost two thirds of all parents admitted that back to school expenses will negatively impact family plans and paying bills. 49% of parents may have to modify their family holiday or children’s summer camps this year. Back to School expenses will also have an adverse impact on 7% of domestic bill payments and an additional 7% of parents will be forced to forego / delay a credit card payment to meet all back to school expenses for their children incurring additional interest charges.

ILCU Back to School Research Results 

About the Research

The survey was conducted by Market Research Company iReach during the period 24^th march to 1^st April using IReach Consumer Decisions Research Panel which delivered 1,000 responses from adults in Ireland aged 18+ to 65+ and is nationally representative by Age, regioan, Gender and Social Class.
This research has a confidence level of 95% and confidence interval of 4%.