Children are being priced out of after-school clubs, say parents

About two-thirds of parents (62 per cent) say they had to say "no" to activities because they could not afford it, according to a survey by Save the Children.

This rises to almost three in four (73 per cent) families with an annual income of less than 15,000 per year.

On average, nearly half of the parents questioned (49 per cent) said they spent more than 10 a week per child on extra-curricular activities such as sport, drama and music. Of these, more than one in five (22 per cent) said they handed over more than 20 per week.

Save the Children estimated that parents paying 10 a week for activities were forking out 500 per year, or 7,500 over their child's school career for after-school clubs.

Those paying 20 a week were paying on average 1,000 per year, or 15,000 throughout their child's time at school.

These figures are based on parents paying 10 or 20 per week for 50 weeks of the year, for 15 years of schooling.

Research has shown that after-school clubs can improve children's overall achievement, the charity said.

But many of the poorest children may be missing out if their parents cannot afford the costs.

Sally Copley, Save the Children's head of UK policy, said: "Children who do after-school activities have more confidence, see the world in different ways, have a stronger sense of identity – and this ultimately translates into doing better in exams and getting a better job."

The survey, which questioned around 1,200 parents of children aged four to 18, found that more than half of them (51 per cent) believed their child would miss out on learning new skills if they did not attend after-school activities.