Tue, 02 Sep 2025

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 Parents' dread as cost of attending school mounts

One parent says she starts planning months in advance for the costs of the new school term.

* A mum from Caerphilly, Vicky Williams, starts budgeting for her children's school uniform and other essentials from Christmas time due to the increasing cost.
* The estimated minimum cost of sending a child to secondary school has reached £2,300 per year, up £600 since 2022.
* Lower and middle-income families face a "real struggle" to afford the costs associated with sending their children to school.
* Uniforms are just one aspect of the problem, as trips and other activities also come with significant costs.
* A charity shop in Caerphilly sells pre-loved and donated uniforms for minimal cost or free, but more work could be done to make school uniform more accessible and affordable.
* The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) estimates that the minimum cost of education is over £1,000 for primary school children and almost £2,300 for secondary school children.
* Ellie Harwood from CPAG says that families on low and middle incomes struggle to meet the costs associated with sending their children to school, and that access to Welsh government support should be expanded.
* The Welsh government claims to be doing everything it can to support families in Wales, but critics say more needs to be done to address the issue of school costs.
  >>