Back to school costs, how much has it cost you?

[Youmadorwhat]

Urrgh...I added it all up today and by the time I get school jumpers (m&s) I will have spent 300!! 😭 breaking my heart here!! And that’s for 1 child!

Just having a moan! What’s your number?

About £200 for 2 DSs primary school. I pass down jumpers and trousers, but not shoes and polo shirts (they look too grey end of the year lol). Shoes from Clark outlets, most from M&S, DS has asked for a Hype rucksack. But barring shorts this will be all I buy for uniform all yet, last years coats still fit.

Around £40. We only need to buy new shoes for DD(4) as she goes back in summer uniform; which we already have, and still fits.

It’ll be a different story though come November when they go into their winter uniform.

Dd1 going into year 13 has produced a £90 book list, bus pass for the new term will be £150 and will probably make a case for needing new clothes, especially smart, interview ware.

DD2 is going into year 11, uniform is being made to last but will need tights, shoes, £150 bus pass (she turns 16 in the first week of term and probably also needs revision guides etc. but no list yet)
DS still in primary about £150 in uniform and shoes.

Bags, lunch boxes or anything”flash” can go on their Christmas lists!

Around £100 for ds 5

Pack of 5 shirts £10ish from Next
2 trousers from Next £8ish each
Shoes-£40 cant remember where from
School bag-£25 lyle and scott

@Cherryade8 no second hand in the school I think most ppl keep uniform for their younger children or relatives if they can. To be honest though for me the uniform is the LEAST expensive part as we don’t need crests. Two skirts in tesco for €10 is perfect! I can’t complain. My DD got 2 years out of her last skirt so hopefully these will last2 years also.

£300 for a 6 year old? That seems a lot. I’ve bought my 6 year old 2 x pinafores, 2 x skirts, 5 x shirts, 1 x plimsolls, 1 x pe kit, some tights and socks, mainly from M&S and it’s come to about £60. I’ll need to buy shoes which will be upto £50. And some trousers for about £10-15. She is re-using her lunchbox, bookbag and water bottles (mainly has school lunches anyway). Her coat(s)will be anything upto about £100 but she wears her coats in and out of school so I don’t include that in the cost. I was thinking more that figure for secondary school!

@thisisthetime 135 of that is for school books and stationary

I know what people are saying about wearing stuff at weekends but if my dd wore her school jacket at weekends and in the hols it would be wrecked before xmas! If i keep it for school only it has a chance of lasting the year. Trainers stay in school, so then another pair needed for out of school.
It's the "extras" that tipped me over the edge! Haircuts, scientific calculator, tights etc.
I don't care about them looking immaculate, it's not even possible with dd2! But i do care about the stuff lasting and keeping them warm, dry and comfortable.

I think also the poster upthread who reckoned 2 of everything would be enough must have more time than me to do laundry?! I'm at work all week and get the bare minimum done - i need enough uniform to get them to the weekend!!

DS1 starts secondary school in September and so far we’ve spent £125 on the school logo stuff including PE kit, £92 on trousers, shirts, shoes and socks, £40 on stationary, calculator, maths set etc, plus we need to get PE trainers and school bag which I’ve budgeted £60 for. £317 in total and I’m almost certain I’ve forgotten something 🤦🏻‍♀️

I think Irish parents need to start saying 'no' to schools asking for voluntary contributions if they are already paying £200 for book rental and buying exercise books and expensive uniforms and insurance. I'd be telling the school that no way was I paying £300 in 'voluntary contribution'. What exactly is your tax covering if you are meeting the costs of running the school?

new bag £15 (the old one was falling apart)
new lunch bag £10 (ditto)

that's it.

DD is at a non-uniform school, so she'll go in wearing the same t shirt and shorts/leggings combo she's wearing now.

What exactly is your tax covering if you are meeting the costs of running the school?

I'm assuming it's just like the UK and schools are short of money. I'm in the UK and I got an invoice yesterday from the school for £180 for this year's 'voluntary contribution'.

Don't pay it! All the time the government can get away with invoicing parents instead of financing schools properly, they will continue to pass the costs onto us and the bills will just go up and up.

£24 for ds who’s just started S6 (Scotland). That was £23 for trousers and £1 for pens. He didn’t need shoes as they still fit, and he got new shirts and sweatshirt at Easter as that’s when he needed them.
I’ve always bought as they’ve needed rather than everything at the start of the school year-it makes the cost absolutely painless

That would be cutting off my nose to spite my face though, because in the meantime my children would be at school and missing out. The school building is falling down around them for starters, ceilings falling down, holes in the roof etc. The school needs money from wherever it can get it.

What exactly is your tax covering if you are meeting the costs of running the school?

I presume tax pays for teachers wages, and the school building via the school budget (electricity, heating, building upkeep, toilet paper, art supplies, etc). My school asks for €40 per child which I don’t think is much tbh.

Primary teachers are paid very well here. But they are not paid out of the school budget per se. they are paid directly from the department at education.

We don’t pay council tax here though so 🤷‍♀️

Expensive uniform first term at new school spent £500! Since then not nearly as much as just replaced shirts and shoes and only occasionally skirt/trousers, so say in average £100/per kid. The calculator/pens/markers are expensive but if careful (daughter) only need minimum replacing year to year, if not (son) then it lasts a couple weeks!

DS is moving to middle school (Y6-8). I had £150 worth of branded jumpers, PE kit, ties etc in my basket for the uniform suppliers, but was going to wait until later in the summer to get it since he always grows over the summer! Last week I got most of what I need from the charity shop! All in good condition. And a pair of brand new trainers -complete with labels - in his size for PE. So £21 so far.... still need a jumper, PE top, training bottoms and football boots and socks. So maybe £80? Then also black trousers and white shirts (previous school was grey trousers and polo shirts) - £60ish?

Both dc need school shoes. That about another £120.

DD just needs new polo shirts thank goodness! £20?

They both need new school socks too. Fingers crossed their coats still fit.

So £300-£350 for 2, one of who largely had her brother’s hand me downs.

In three years time, they’ll both be changing schools...

Almost £600 so far for DS who is starting (a brand new so no second-hand unifom available) secondary:

Blazer, tie, jumper, trousers, 2 types of PE kit, PE hoodie, new rucksack, £300 fucking chromebook, football boots, trainers, calculator, stationary kit etc. Still have to get him new shoes. The only thing I've been able to go to M&S for are shirts, all other uniform is logoed, and only available from one shop.

DD luckily only needs new (school & house specific) shirts at £10 each, but the old ones did last her 3 years. Also tights, but I think we can get away with another term before she needs shoes/trainers. (No doubt she'll tell me they don't fit the day before she goes back.)

I’d forgotten about the stationary!!

Stationery, sorry.

Do they tell you specifically what the money is being spent on? Because you could be financing things which don't directly benefit your child at all.
My dd's primary had fundraisers for specific purchases, but these were extras rather than repairing buildings. I was happy to support that fundraising since primary is smaller and most children will benefit from whatever the fundraising is spent on. In secondary school, it's much bigger and you could well be financing things your child will never use - when my oldest kids were there, I spent on extra tuition for my DC rather than handing money directly to the school.
I totally get why parents do it but we are storing up problems for ourselves and future parents because financing school becomes the norm,weather than something the govt is expected to do from taxation.

stationery I blame autocorrect...

@Aderyn19 the €40 contribution is for photocopying/postage and admin fees.

I guess I have paid for photocopying indirectly - my ds' secondary school emailed home everything that they wanted parents to print for lessons. I never added it up but I guess it would have been quite expensive. I think that is probably better than wasting loads of paper, which used to happen when I was at school because kids didn't appreciate the cost and were always requesting new copies of things they'd lost. School didn't ask us to buy many books though.

I do think I would baulk though at paying lots of upfront costs for books etc and a large contribution. One or the other is more reasonable.