The hidden cost of sending a child to a state school has been highlighted by Norwich Union, which calculates an overall cost of £14,000 for a conventional, non-private education.

This expense has in fact risen by some £4,000 in the last four years, the new figures show - demonstrating that careful financial management is needed even when sending your child off to a school which is ostensibly free.

Transport, food and shoes are the highest contributing factors to this overall expense - typically making £7,051 of spending on a child who attends school between the ages of five and 16.

Vast amounts of clothes also lead to the cost mounting up, and sports kit tends to incur some £550 of spending over a child's schooling span. These days, technologies such as mobile phones drain an equal amount from parents' accounts.

Norwich Union's Simon Quick said:"Many parents think of state schools as being free but the costs are significant. Over £1,000 of parents' money gets spent per child each year just covering the everyday costs of sending our children to school.

"This quickly racks up for families with two or three children and with an increase of £200 per child a year over the last four years, parents need to consider the increasing needs and demands of our children."




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