Parents spend average of almost £3,000 on their child's first year of school

Costs rise during secondary education and total more than £60,000

Primary and secondary school is getting more expensive for parents, even if children are state educated (Getty/AFP)

Parents spend almost £3,000 on their child’s first year of school, according to new research.

Over the course of a child’s education, parents reportedly spend an eye-water £60,000 – excluding school fees – on food, technology, childcare, transport and extracurricular activities for their child.

The research, commissioned by John Lewis, found the cost of a child’s reception year in primary school was £2,744. Overall, the study claimed parents spent £29,512 per child on primary school outgoings and £34,440 on secondary school costs.

Food and drink was the most expensive outgoing – costing parents £944 annually per child.

Technology was the next most expensive item, with the costs of mobile phones, laptops and tablets totalling £607. The study also found that transport (£536) and childcare (£589) followed as the next most expensive outgoings for parents.

It claimed that Year 7 – the first year of secondary school – was the most expensive overall, with parents spending £6,794 on average. But costs for the GCSE year fell, with Year 11 only costing £2,792 in comparison.

Bad luck if you have three sons: on average boys cost £1,600 more every year than girls to send to school.

Regional differences also emerged with London being the most expensive region to educate a child per year (£8,500) compared to Wales (£2,800).

The results demonstrate how state school costs for parents have rocketed in the past two years. A 2013 Aviva study estimated the total cost at £22,500 – roughly a third of the total costs now.