Meals, uniforms and PE kits are all increasing in price at unusually high rates, according to Asda and pollsters YouGov.
Rising school fees are affecting all parents - and not just those whose children are privately educated.
According to a new report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and supermarket chain Asda, released today, rising food and petrol prices have upped the cost of packed lunches and school meals, as well as the childrens' transportation costs. When all of these factors were considered, CEBR found that costs had risen by a total of 2.3 percent from June 2007 to June 2008.
This dwarfs the average price rise over the past decade, which stands at 0.8 per cent. The latest results also mean that total costs have increased by 7.8 percent since 1998.
When broken down, the single biggest source of annual school expenditure for parents was found to be school meals, which came to £388 per year. In second place was uniforms, costing £266, while PE kits came third on £207. Lower income families were found to be proportionally harder hit by these costs.
Commenting on the report, Asda chief executive Andy Bond said: "It is important for retailers like us to understand the real financial pressures that are facing UK families, particularly when families do not have the choice to opt out, like sending their children to school."
