Becca Bayman, Liverpool North Socialist Party
The back-to-school season comes as a relief for many parents who have had to pay for childcare over summer. New research by children’s charity Coram has found that parents are forced to fork out £191 per child a week for childcare on average during the school holidays. But even when children are back in school, the costs of afterschool childcare are immense. Coram found that parents of primary school children in England will pay 42% more for afterschool childcare this year than they did ten years ago, with annual bills now exceeding more than £2,800 a child in some parts of the UK. As childcare costs have risen, wages have failed to keep pace, so families are being squeezed from both sides. For working-class families, there is less and less left over at the end of the month.
But the costs don’t end there. Parents also spend an average of £381 each year on mandatory school uniforms and sports kits. Extracurricular activities are now luxuries for many, typically costing £700 per year. This adds up to £9,100 over a child’s time in school. All children should have access to these opportunities that will allow them to develop their skills and stay healthy. Instead, parents are forced to absorb the costs schools are unable to subsidise as they are starved of funding.
From September this year, free school meals will be extended to families whose parents are on Universal Credit in England. This is a welcome measure, but it does not go far enough – only the poorest children will receive this. Free school meals should be provided universally and properly funded so schools aren’t forced to absorb any extra costs. In Tower Hamlets, East London, the Aspire-led council has implemented a policy of universal free school meals, forcing London-wide primary free school meals. Councils carrying this out need to combine it with a campaign to demand the necessary funding from central government, so schools themselves are not forced to struggle further. Catering should also be brought back in-house, not outsourced to profit-driven companies where cuts to the quality of food are made to keep costs low. Children deserve secure provision of healthy food, quality education, and safe and secure childcare.
