School costs rising says report

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/7542780.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The cost of sending a child to school in the UK has risen to £1,077 a year, according to a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

Rising food prices have hit the cost of meals and petrol prices have made the school run more expensive.

The costs rose by 2.3% in the year to June - the biggest percentage rise for 10 years, the report claimed.

Families now spend £10.5bn a year on school essentials, with low-income families hardest hit by rising costs.

Breakdown

School meals accounted for the biggest chunk of the spending, at £388 a year for each child, the report says.

This was followed by £266 for the cost of school uniforms, and £207 for sports kits.

Money spent on school trips reached £79 a year for each child, and the school run set parents back £66.

"It is important for retailers like us to understand the real financial pressures that are facing UK families, particularly when families do not have the choice to opt out, like sending their children to school," said Andy Bond, chief executive of Asda, which commissioned the report.

The cost of sending children to independent schools has risen, according to recent unconnected report. The majority of England's top private schools raised fees above the level of inflation this year.