Cost of sending a child to state school rises to £2,300 a year

Families have seen a sharp rise in the cost of sending their children to state school because of the rising price of food and increased demand for ­materials and ­technology.

British parents pay at least £1,000 a year to send their child to state primary and at secondary the minimum annual cost is almost £2,300.

These are increases of 16 per cent and 30 per cent respectively since 2022, according to research by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Centre for Research in Social Policy.

The growing cost is making it harder for children to thrive at school, the ­report said, adding that family finances could act as a barrier to a child’s ­education and experience of school life.

The authors did not include the costs of wraparound childcare, additional school trips, music lessons or after-school clubs — all of which would lead to an even higher expenditure.