Fewer parents seeking help with back-to-school expenses despite struggling with cost of living

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul says 20 per cent fewer parents have called for help with back-to-school costs this summer compared to last year.

The Dublin-based charity said such a positive impact might come from the free primary school books scheme and the temporary increase in allowance for school clothing and footwear, although it comes with an overall rise in calls by 14 per cent, mainly related to food costs and energy bills.

The charity said pressure was still high on parents of secondary school children due to extra fees and “voluntary” contributions, and due to secondary school books still not being free.

“We have taken calls from parents who have to pay €600 for an iPad and sometimes they are also asked to pay another €200 for books,” said SVP national president Rose McGowan. “The high cost of transition year is increasingly an issue as well.”

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SVP said only last week they had been contacted by “over 250 parents” every day and reported some examples of requests through anonymised names.

[ Back-to-school money-saving tips from A to Z ]

[ Back to school should not mean breaking the bank ]

Lisa and Donal were just over the threshold to qualify for the back-to-school allowance but, with a daughter starting first year of secondary school and a son starting transition year, they said they had been “struggling to get by with normal weekly bills”. The extra transition year fee they are called to pay is €550.

According to SVP, “almost 60 per cent” of calls came from single parents.

For Melissa, a lone parent with a son starting secondary school, the back-to-school allowance was crucial to cover school administration charges (€160), a locker and a school uniform including shoes and PE gear (€300). But she still struggles in covering schoolbooks which are costing her €220. “I want to save my son from the embarrassment of having to go to school without his books,” she said. “I feel so ashamed I am letting him down.”

Sarah, who’s receiving working family payment, has also qualified for the back-to-school allowance for her two children aged six and 12, but says she’s “barely making ends meet” and that the entirety of the allowance was only enough to cover her older son’s back-to-school costs.

[ ‘Frustration’ among parents over uniform costs, digital tools and voluntary fees, despite free books scheme ]

[ Diarmaid Ferriter: There is an obvious solution to resented ‘voluntary’ school contributions ]

SVP called for an increase of the allowance thresholds so that more low-income working families will be able to access the payment.

Ms McGowan highlighted that the progress made at primary school level shows how inequalities could be tackled at all levels “if making the right choices in Budget 2024”.

SVP head of social justice and policy Tricia Keilthy said she was “hopeful” the new Child Poverty and Well-Being Office at the Department of the Taoiseach would follow up on its commitment to make secondary school books free in Budget 2024.

Speaking about the cost-of-living rise still highly impacting families, SVP called for a “sustained focus on tackling poverty” in the budget, with “targeted measures for those most at risk” like one-parent families, families with older children and people with disabilities.