Drama and sports lessons are stretching parents budgets - with just one in twenty saving any money for them.
Extra-curricular activities for British schoolchildren are costing parents a total of £1.7 billion a year, new research revealed today.
According to the study, millions of parents were spending up to £10 a session for performing arts classes - with drama and dance lessons both proving popular. Moreover, an estimated total of £350 million is also being spent on extra sports activities outside of school hours.
Typically, football gear is costing parents £130 a year per child, the researchers at Alliance & Leicester said, while a summer trip to a sports and activities camp sets them back £575 on average.
Despite all this expenditure, the study also revealed that just five percent of families are specifically saving money for these activities.
Commenting on the study Hetal Parmar, manager for savings at Alliance & Leicester, said: "All parents know that taking part in extra-curricular activities benefits their children, and it is right that they want to support their ambitions. Whether the dream is to be a class act or sporting hero, the cost mounts up on top of the price of compulsory uniforms, school dinners and school trips.
He added: "Parents will feel the pinch if they have not made financial provisions already, especially if they have more than one child at school, or if their child takes part in more than one activity...saving regularly, especially little and often, can soon build up into a lump sum, eliminating stress and paving the way to pay for additional costs."
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