Parents paying £1000+ a year to send a child to primary school

Parents are paying at least £1,000 a year to send their child to a state primary school, new figures have revealed.

According to the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP), this is 16% higher than it was in 2022, and well above inflation (8%) and earnings growth (12%) during this period.

A similar trend was identified among people with slightly older children, with parents paying almost £2,300 a year to send their child to secondary school.

That’s 30% higher than it was three years ago.

Notably, these figures are based on what parents feel is the minimum that a child needs to go and take part in school life.

So they don’t include extra costs such as school trips, learning a musical instrument or using wraparound childcare.

What impact does this have?

The study found that if children don’t have what they need to learn, they don’t feel able to fully take part in lessons, and often struggle with homework.

In addition, some said this has led to punishments such as detentions and behaviour points.

“Parents are struggling to cover household bills while also forking out for pencils and PE gear at school,” said Kate Anstey, head of education policy at CPAG.

“And still their children get priced out of school activities.”

What’s pushing up costs for parents?

Parents are paying more partly because packed lunches and snacks for the school day are more expensive than they were three years ago.

At the same time, the need for access to technology for digital learning has increased.

And once children progress to secondary school, parents face higher subject costs, such as art and design materials and textbooks.

But there was one notable area where costs have come down.

The minimum price of school uniforms has fallen slightly since 2022, partly because there’s now more flexibility about where it can be bought, especially for primary-aged children.

However, school uniforms are still a big expense for parents, especially those who are already under financial pressure.

We recently polled parents struggling with debt and found that:

• 97% are worried about being able to afford new uniform
• 11% would use credit to pay for back-to-school costs
• 11% would cover the cost by saving throughout the year and buying second-hand clothing

Government urged to take action

CPAG has now called on the government to take steps that would help tackle child poverty and improve living standards.

For example, it suggested expanding free school meals and offering help to parents struggling with uniform costs.

Ministers were also urged to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap, as parents can only currently claim child tax credit or universal credit for a maximum of two children per household.

“Government’s forthcoming child poverty strategy must improve living standards for families,” Ms Anstey commented.

“Unless the strategy scraps the two-child limit, more and more children across the UK will see their potential - in and outside the school gates - stunted by poverty,” Ms Anstey commented.