Costs Of Almost €800 To Put Child Through First Year Of Secondary School

Barnardos says it now costs 785 euro to put a child through their first year of secondary school – an increase of 50 euro.

The children's charity says the overall costs of sending a child to school have gone up this year compared with 2014.

It now costs 365 euro for a senior infant – up 20 euro – while it's up ten euro to 390 for a child in 4th class.

The average price of books has increased by around 25 euro and voluntary contributions now average 150 euro.

Barnardos CEO Fergus Finlay says those contributions are a massive burden on parents.