There are 'huge costs and expense involved getting children ready to go back to school'

The threshold for receiving the back-to-school allowance should be expanded to allow more parents to benefit from the grant, a local councillor told the Leitrim Observer. 

Cllr Brendan Barry said that he would "definitely support the calls for the thresholds to be increased to try and allow more families to be able to apply for it because of the cost of living increasing so much. I know a person who was out yesterday buying different things to get children ready for going back to school and there are huge costs and expenses and of course everyone wants their children to have what all the other children have in the class and that puts families who are struggling under huge pressure; those families do need help."

He was speaking after Children's charity Barnardos called on the Government to expand eligibility for the back-to-school allowance to help more parents meet the costs of the school year and also called for school capitation rates to be increased in order to reduce reliance on so-called 'voluntary contributions'.

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So far this year, 236,560 children have benefitted from  back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance payments.

The allowance is €160 for most primary school children, and €285 for those aged 12 and over.

Cllr Barry continued: "There is definitely a demand out there for it. There are lots of people who are working and struggling to meet day to day costs. This isn't a day to day cost; it's an expense that comes up once a year and many families struggle to have everything ready. Children grow out of clothes and shoes very quickly and then there are other costs where families are funding different things that are happening in the school; schools are finding it harder to meet day to day costs and turn back to parents through fundraisers etc. It is harder and getting more expensive to live."

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Barnardos recently published a report about how many parents worry about meeting back-to-school costs and some even consider cutting back on essentials in order to manage them with Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly stating: "No parent should face additional stress and financial pressure to ensure their child has all they need to start back to school."