Mounting costs of sending kids to schools is unbelievable
The summer holidays are drawing to an end which means the last minute dash to get the school uniform.
New jumpers, cardigans, socks, shirts, pants, skirts, shoes and all of the rest comes to one large amount and a new survey reveals that one in three parents are worried about this.
Over a third also said that they feel there are too many extras, things like school trips, books and sports equipment continue to hike up the costs of sending a child to school.
However, although parents are feeling anxious about money, many are not aware of the financial support that may be available to help them during financially tight times.
Less than one per cent of parents surveyed by Turn2us, part of the national charity Elizabeth Finn Care, said they have approached a charity for financial support, yet there are around 3,500 charitable funds (national, regional and local) that may be able to help. These have a total annual expenditure of £366 million.
Alison Taylor, Director of Turn2us said: “Families who are already struggling to make ends meet due to reduced salaries and benefits, redundancy and other changes in working conditions will be driven to crisis point by back to school costs.
"Yet there is a range of charitable grants that may be able to give financial assistance for welfare or educational purposes. It’s important that parents investigate all sources of support, including help from charities”.
The struggle financially is having a wide-range effect on families; more than one in eight parents feel guilty that their child isn't always as well-dressed for school as other pupils or the same figure also revealsed that their child has been bullied in the last 12 months because they didn't have the newest or best clothes for school.
"Schools must think carefully about expecting families to provide specific uniform items that can only be purchased from certain retailers, sometimes at greater cost," says Jeremy Todd, chief executive of Family Lives.
"If you are a family with limited means then you simply will not have the funds to purchase new school uniforms every year especially if you have a number of children. Therefore whilst families can be signposted to charities to help them with costs, there is something here to be said about the pressure children can put upon parents for new things," continues Jeremy.
Jasmine Birtles, of Moneymagpie.com, has produced the following back to school tips:
1) Get the whole family involved. The best way to save, and make, money as a family is to do it together. Have regular family meetings where you talk about things you want to do as a family and work out together where you can make savings and how you can make extra cash to pay for it. Once the children understand the situation they can help day-to-day.
2) Save with friends and neighbours. Get together with your friends and neighbours and buy in bulk at your local cash and carry. Do a big list and share out the goods, the driving and the effort between you. Also, have a swap shop every now and then where you get together to swap children's clothes, toys and accessories.
3) Go for second-hand school uniforms where possible. Either try your school for their regular sales or swap shops or take a look at Patched Elephant, which is entirely for second-hand uniforms and school equipment
4) Check your entitlement to welfare benefits. Government figures show that £19.18 billion of welfare benefits go unclaimed – including £6.48 billion in Tax Credits, which many parents on low incomes may be able to claim. This is additional income that could make a crucial difference to many families. You can use the Turn2us Benefits Checker to check what you might be able to claim.
5) Find out if you are eligible for a charitable grant. If you are on a low income, help may be available to you from a charitable fund. Use the Turn2us Grants Search database to find charitable funds that may be able to help you, based on your personal circumstances, background and needs.
6) Be the first to get discounts on everything. Sign up to free bargain newsletters like the Moneymagpie Friday bargain alert, and 'like' Facebook pages of shops and companies you frequent because they often put exclusive discounts on those pages.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Parenting