Sending child to state secondary school costs UK families £39 a week, study says

theguardian.com:

Sending a child to a state secondary school costs families at least £39 each week, and £19 a week for children at primary school, according to research based on a child’s minimum needs.

The study by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found that the associated costs of transport, lunch, uniform, school trips and learning materials combined amounts to hundreds of pounds a year for each child at a UK state school.

Low-income families from England faced the highest costs, according to the research, compared with those in Scotland and Wales, because of fewer benefits available – such as free school meals and grants for expenses such as school uniform.

Using interviews and focus groups, the researchers calculated that the annual price tag for going to secondary school was £1,756 per child and £865 for a primary school child in 2022.

Over 14 years of a child’s education – at primary and secondary school – the cost would total more than £18,000 in 2022 prices.

Adding wrap-around childcare for primary-age children adds an additional £5,000 a year to a family’s costs.

The CPAG said its research revealed for the first time “the actual costs families face sending their children to school” based on what parents and carers with school-age children thought are the essential items every family should be able to afford for their child’s participation at school.

Kate Anstey, head of the CPAG’s “cost of the school day” programme, said the figures highlighted the difficulties that families on low incomes faced in accessing free state education.

“Parents are guilt-stricken when their kids are left out at school but when you can’t cover the electricity bill, how is a new PE kit affordable?” Anstey said.

“Our research shows there’s a hefty and often