IF YOU HAVE a child going into secondary school this September, prepare for your pocket to be €1,000 lighter after you have forked out for a new uniform and books.

It won't be as expensive if you have a youngster starting primary school for the first time but the compulsory milestone will still set you back about ¤500, taking into account the shiny new shoes and the Dora the Explorer schoolbag.

Aside from Christmas, the back-toschool period is responsible for the single biggest financial pressure on parents and if they have more than the average 2.5 kids, the burden increases considerably.

Schools themselves are under pressure due to Government cutbacks and are relying on parents to contribute up to ¤200 a year per child in voluntary payments, adding to the overall cost for families.

If you factor in other expenses such as transport, pocket money, contribution to sponsored events and extra-curricular school activities which require student payments, Ireland's education system looks far from 'free'.

Bank of Ireland Life, in association with the online parent resource Schooldays.ie has carried out research which shows that a parent can expect to pay almost ¤70,000 to put a child through the system, from primary through to college.

The primary school cost is averaged at ¤12,000; secondary ¤13,000 and 3rd level ¤42,000.

Approximately 80% of parents do not believe that the current State Child Allowance of ¤166 per child is sufficient to help them with education expenses.

And the allowance is now under threat of being reduced by the Government in a future Budget.

The Bank of Ireland survey revealed that 86% of parents say any reduction in child benefit will leave them in a difficult position financially when it comes to covering the cost of their children's education.

Many parents are already facing financial problems as a result of the Government's announcement to stop child benefit for young people over 18 years and in full-time education, from 2010.

According to the survey, the average expenditure on school books for a primary school pupil is ¤180 with uniform costs in the region of ¤ 224.

For a secondary school student, the average annual cost of books is ¤331 while uniforms cost ¤289 after the initial start-off outlay.

You can expect to pay ¤343 during the year on lunch.food for a primary school pupils and ¤419 for a secondlevel student.

The Labour Party is running a campaign calling for greater support for parents of school-going children, including an increase in the eligibility limits and and the amounts payable to families under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance which is paid to social welfare recipients and low-income earners.

For example, a mother of two-children in a post-primary school whose weekly income is ¤355 made up from part-time work and the Lone Parents' Allowance, does not qualify for the allowance.

A couple who are both earning the national minimum wage will not qualify for any financial support from the State this year for clothing, footwear or books. Yet, if they have one child attending primary and another starting first year in secondary school, they are facing a total bill of ¤2,000.

The Labour Party is also calling for a special grant of ¤ 400, for all qualifying families, for each child starting secondary school, which is one of the most expensive times in a child's educational life, apart from college.

It also says that the Department of Education should provide a sufficient level of funding to all primary and post-primary schools to ensure that voluntary contributions are not required. And schools should not have to engage in fundraising to meet running costs.

- Maria PEPPER