Two-thirds of families struggle to pay school costs

It revealed that parents are shelling out just under £650 a year per child on basics such as uniform, meals, text books, trips and technology.

In some cases, families have resorted to cutting back on clothing, food or heating, and in some cases even borrowing money, to pay for things for school, the Children’s Commission on Poverty report found.

It warned that some children in poor families have been left embarrassed or even bullied because their parents cannot afford an item linked to their education.

“We may believe that the UK offers a free education, but what children wear at school, what they eat, whether they can join in with friends, even which classes they choose to attend, are all affected by their ability to afford the costs of school,” the report said.

Nearly 316,000 families in Yorkshire and the Humber say they have struggled with the cost of school, the findings showed. The commission concluded nationally, families are spending about £6.4bn a year on school costs - £800 for every primary or secondary age child.

The bill includes £168 on school meals, £159 on school uniform and sports kit, £82 on travel costs and £167 on school trips.

Over half (52%) of parents admitted they had cut back on clothing, food or heating to meet a school-related cost, while one in four (25%) said they had borrowed money.

While computers and internet access are increasingly necessary for pupils to do homework, three in 10 youngsters from poor families said they had fallen behind because their family could not afford them.

A similar proportion - around a third - said they were lagging behind because parents could not afford the books or materials needed.

The commission’s inquiry, led by a panel of 16 children from across England, also found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of children in “not well off at all” families had felt embarrassed at school because they could not afford the cost of something, while 27% said they had been bullied as a result.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the Children’s Society, said: “Children are supposed to be benefiting equally from a free education. Yet the reality is that UK families are paying billions of pounds each year towards the cost of school. Children are being penalised and denied their right to an equal education simply because their parents cannot afford the basics. This is just not right.”

The National Association of Head Teachers backed the society’s recommendation that free school meals should be extended to low-income working families, and not just those on benefits.

Schools Minister David Laws said cuts to income tax and the introduction of free school meals for all infants was helping.

He said: “Through our pupil premium we are helping schools transform the way they educate our disadvantaged children. This £2.5bn of extra money this year alone, in the hands of excellent teachers and with schools held to account, is working. A recent Ofsted report showed that the achievement gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing.”