The average cost of sending a child to a non-fee paying primary school in the coming school year will top €800, while the cost of a “free” education in any of the State’s secondary schools will climb to more than €1,300, according to a new survey.

When the cost of uniforms, books, lunches, extracurricular activities, school trips, “voluntary” contributions, transport and sports gear are totted up, parents of children in the primary system will spend an average of €816 per child, according to research from the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).

Parents of secondary school children will spend an average of €1,313 per child.

All told, 81 per cent of parents of schoolgoing children said sending their children back to school in September would be a significant financial burden, with 32 per cent saying they would be likely to get into debt to cover the cost.

Most expensive

The survey of 1,000 nationally representative adults found uniforms to be the most expensive items, with the parents of primary school children spending an average of €166 per child, up from €160 in 2014, and secondary school parents spending an average of €258 per child on uniforms, down from €266 last year.

Books were the second most expensive item on the school shopping list, with primary school parents shelling out €106, down slightly from the €107 spent last year.

Secondary school parents said they would spend €213 on books, up significantly from €166 in 2014.

School lunches were the third most expensive item on the list. Feeding children in primary school cost €116 per child in 2015, down from €122 in 2014, while the cost of lunches for secondary school children was put at €147 per child, up from €134 in 2014.

In debt

Only 15 per cent of parents eligible for back-to-school allowance said it was sufficient to cover back-to-school costs, while 32 per cent of those who took part in the survey said they would find themselves in debt covering back-to-school costs, with the average amount being borrowed put at €360.

It also found that 70 per cent of parents expected to make a “voluntary contribution” to their school next year, with the average amount to be paid being put at €112 per child - down slightly on last year.

The study revealed changing shopping patterns, with 47 per cent of parents saying they shop online for back-to-school items and more than half saying they do so because that is where they find the best value.

"Back to school is an expensive time of year for parents and with household budgets already stretched, covering the considerable costs of school has become very challenging," said Ed Farrell of the ILCU.

He urged parents to shop around for the best value in back-to-school items such as school books and uniforms, and warned struggling parents to steer clear of moneylenders.

Where does the money go?

First figure is primary school children, second is secondary level

Uniform €166/€258

Books €106 /€213

School lunches €116/€147

Extracurricular activities €131 /€137

Transport costs €89 /€142 6.

Voluntary contribution €77/€147

School trips €63/€160

Gym gear €68 /€109