The start of the school year can be tough on kids, but new research suggests it’s tough on parents’ wallets, too.
Parents spend an average of £244.90 on kitting their children out ready for September, from buying new uniforms to PE kits, books and shoes.
In a poll of 2,000 parents, Vouchercodes.co.uk found that school uniforms topped the list of the most expensive items to buy for their children, averaging at £52.90 per child, followed by a new coat at an average price of £38.70 and school shoes, averaging at £36.50.
PE kit will cost another £28.90 and books and stationary come to £26.
Children going into year six, year seven and year eight are the most expensive to kit out, the research found, with the overall cost for their items coming to an average of £276.20 per child.
Children entering school between reception and year two cost the least to provide for, averaging at £182.
The ability to cover all these costs has been weighing on parents’ minds, with nearly half of those polled reporting they are worried about how they will afford to pay for all of the items their children need.
A third of parents said they would be forced to spend their savings to cover the costs, while 49% said they had already changed their spending habits, with nearly as many having cut back on personal treats to afford the items.
But parents won’t just be spending money on their children’s uniforms, they also give their children money as rewards.
Children who achieved good grades at either GCSE or A-level will be rewarded with £186.50 on average for their efforts by their parents this summer.
A total of 44% of parents will give each child £90.30 in cash on average, while one in six will pay for a holiday, and 6% of teenagers have parents who have promised to pay for a car if they do well on results day.
Almost three-quarters of parents reward their children for their general performance at school, if they have done well in teachers’ evaluations and extracurricular activities.