Some parents are taking out loans to cover back-to-school expenses this year, with more than half of respondents worried about meeting rising costs, a Barnardos survey says.
The children’s charity has urged the Government to prioritise a review of digital devices and reduce costs after parents reported being asked to pay up to €850 for tablet computers.
The survey, published on Wednesday, is based on more than 700 responses, with 57 per cent of secondary school parents saying they had to pay for laptops or tablets this year, at an average cost of €447.
Overall, Barnardos put the average back-to-school costs faced by parents of secondary school pupils at €1,139 this year. The figure, which is based on costs stated by participating parents, was up from €1,090 in 2025.
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Digital devices made up the largest expense for secondary school parents, followed by uniforms (€203).
[ Majority of parents say back-to-school costs are a financial burden, survey shows ]
Barnardos said there were “many instances” of parents being “compelled” to buy specific devices from named suppliers at set costs.
“They are not allowed to shop around to get better value, use cheaper items or even use identical devices that they already own,” it said.
“We have been informed that this is happening frequently without any consultation with parents.”
Although the charity had seen “substantial progress” in reducing financial pressure on families in recent years, parents remained “concerned” about several costs in particular, including digital devices, Barnardos national policy manager Stephen Moffatt said.
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“Expensive uniforms” were an ongoing concern for primary school parents, he said, “which often now include additional branded tracksuits”.
School uniforms were the largest expense for such parents this year at €118 on average, down from €125 in 2025.
Overall, parents of primary school pupils spent €487 on back-to-school costs this year, down from €558 in 2025.
A total of 14 per cent of primary school parents said their schools required spending on digital costs, with those parents spending €81 on average this year.
Overall, more than half of all parents (60 per cent of primary and a similar percentage of secondary) said they worried about meeting back-to-school costs.
More than a quarter of secondary school parents (27 per cent) and 21 per cent of primary school parents said they had to use savings to meet the costs.
A further 15 per cent of secondary and about one in 10 primary school parents said they had to take out a loan or borrow from family and friends.
Barnardos said “more and more” parents have raised frustration of receiving “little to no support” when meeting back-to-school costs.
“The most frequent complaint is not being beneficiaries of the back-to-school allowance because they don’t quite meet thresholds,” it said.
