School contributions, digital devices and PE kits can add significant costs when sending children to school, according to a new survey by the CCPC.
The survey found that 84% of parents are requested to pay financial contributions to their children's school at an average cost of €167.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission surveyed 1,200 people and found that a significant majority only found out about the need to contribution fees or tech devices after their child had started school.
Parents spend an average of €169 on uniforms and €99 on specific PE items.
One in four parents say their child is required to purchase a laptop of tablet for their schoolwork, with the average cost of those devices being €500 or €562 for second level students. One third of parents buying these devices have to use credit facilities in order to make the purchases.
The CCPC is advising parents not to take on debt when covering back-to-school, to find out about costs in advance and to bear in mind that school requests for additional contributions are voluntary.
The commission is also advising schools to be upfront and transparent about voluntary contributions and to adopt generic uniform options, rather than restricting parents to a single supplier, which increases cost and limits options.
