Parents will spend an average of £244.90 on kitting out each child to return to school next month, a survey suggests.

School uniforms are at the top of the price list at £52.90 on average, followed by a coat at an average of £38.70 and school shoes at £36.50, according to the poll of 2,000 parents by VoucherCodes.co.uk.

PE kit will cost another £28.90 and books and stationery come to £26.

Those entering Year 6 to Year 8 are the most expensive to prepare, with parents of these pupils spending an average of £276.20.

Children entering school between Reception and Year 2 cost the least at £182.

Almost half (46 per cent) of parents are worried about how they are going to afford the cost of kitting their children out for the new term, the poll found.

A third (33 per cent) said they would have to spend their savings and 49 per cent claimed to have already changed their spending habits, with 44 per cent having cut back on personal treats to afford the cost of sending their child back to school.

The cost of going back to school

Additionally, children who achieved good grades at either GCSE or A level will be rewarded with £186.50 on average for their efforts by their parents this summer.

When rewarding their offspring, 44 per cent will give each child £90.30 in cash on average, one in six will pay for a holiday and 6 per cent of teenagers have parents who have promised to pay for a car if they do well on results day.

Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of parents reward their children for their general performance at school, such as in teachers’ evaluations and extracurricular activities.

Anita Naik, lifestyle editor at VoucherCodes, said: “It’s interesting to see the amount that parents spend on back-to-school items each year, whether that’s splashing out on costly school kit and subject supplies, or the amount spent on rewarding performance and exam results.

“Not all parents can afford to spend lots of money, so when you discuss supplies and rewards with your kids, it’s worth thinking about savvy ways to look supportive yet still save.”

Opinium surveyed 2,001 UK parents with children of school age online last month.

Image “Empty wallet” by Marco Verch is licensed under CC BY 2.0