The cost of getting a child ready for secondry school is almost €800, according to Barnardos.

Primary school costs can hit as much as €400.

The childrens' charity says books and uniforms remain the single biggest expense for parents.

It's criticising the government for a lack of effort in bringing down the costs.

CEO of Barnardos, Fergus Finlay, says schools themselves can play a major part in lowering the cost for families:

Finlay says some schools force parents to buy iPads or tablets, on which they pay 23% luxury tax. Barnardos is warning the switch to digital learning will remain outside the reach of most parents, unless action is taken on this, and other issues.

Key Survey findings

• Anger at being unable to buy uniforms in high street shops - instead parents have to go to specific shops that charge much higher prices (Crested jumpers start at €45 for a secondary school pupil instead of €12 for plain jumper).
• Continued frustration at being unable to pass on books due to new editions being printed, different books being chosen by teachers and the use of expensive workbooks that can’t be recycled.
• Although there is a growing availability of school book rental schemes - 55% of parents have access to such a scheme in primary school, up from 50% in 2012 and 42% of parents had such a scheme in secondary school, up from 40% in 2012 – it is still by no means universal. This means that in some cases, money paid by the State to schools for assisting with book costs is being used for other purposes.
• 68% of parents of primary school pupils and 74% of parents of secondary school pupils have been asked for a voluntary contribution and many schools chase parents for the payment.