Back to school: counting the cost

Sir, – Your readers are presented with the annual uncritical analysis of back-to-school costs (News, July 22nd). We are told that the average cost of a primary pupil returning to school is €949. Your reports, however, refer to the fact that this figure includes such things as lunch costs (€102) or after-school care costs (€117).

As these are presented as extra costs, are we to deduce that during the summer youngsters don’t eat lunch and that they aren’t cared for by anybody? – Yours, etc,

DAVID FitzGERALD,

Goatstown,

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Dublin 14.