'Back to school' costs a struggle.

MORE than half of parents say they cannot afford "back to school" costs, a survey showed today.

The majority of parents (51%) with an income of pounds 30,000 or less - the national average is pounds 28,000 - are concerned about the cost of school supplies and more than a quarter (28%) of parents are worried their children's education will suffer as a result of financial hardship, according to research by charities Save the Children and Family Action.

More than four in 10 (43%) of those feeling anxious about money said they were likely to have problems buying school uniform, while a quarter (26%) said they would not be able to buy the full PE kit needed.

Almost a fifth (19%) said they would struggle with the cost of books and equipment and half (52%) said they would be cutting back on essentials such as paying bills or food or missing out on buying certain items to make ends meet.

The outlook is even worse for parents on incomes of less than pounds 12,000 a year. Almost six out of 10 (59%) said they could not afford everything their children needed to return to school and half (50%) said they were likely to have problems affording new school shoes.

More than a quarter (28%) of low income families said they would not be able to buy their children a winter coat and 26% said they would need to borrow money to cover costs.

Colette Marshall, UK director of Save the Children, said: "Families living in poverty often have just pounds 20 to spend on food each week so to find the money to cover all the back to school costs is impossible. It is unacceptable that many parents, especially those on a low income, cannot afford to buy their children a winter coat or new shoes."