Big disparities between schools' costly necessities

The cost of back-to-school necessities like stationery and uniforms can be overwhelming for some parents, with massive disparities between what different schools require.

With four kids of school age, Nelson mum Megan Pullyn said she held her breath when reading their stationery lists each year.

She paid for two of the kids, and when stationery and uniform costs were combined, the total could quickly stack up.

"Just for those two children, we are probably spending $350, if not more, a year," she said.

Normally, Pullyn would try to reuse as many books and pens from previous years as possible.

However, some of her kids were now expected to hand everything on their lists over to their teacher on the first day of school, for the items to be shared among the class as needed.

This new shared approach meant Pullyn was unable to employ some of her usual money-saving techniques.

"It was quite strange that both of the schools said they were going to be sharing the stationery; not to name them, not to cover them; and we had to order through a specific website which meant we weren't allowed to order from somewhere else to try and make it cheaper."

By contrast, at Masterton's Lakeview School, parent Casey Watson was delighted to discover the school would be providing all students' stationery for free.

"I was so happy when I got the letter because that was money that I didn't need to pay towards another school item.

"Also, the thought of not having to go and deal with finding the books at the stores was amazing."

Watson used to spend $50-80 on stationery at the start of each year.

Now, she would put that money towards uniforms, which remained a significant expense - easily a couple of hundred dollars a year.

Lakeview School principal Tim Nelson said the initiative was a simple thing the board of trustees could implement to help parents battling with rising costs.

"These are really, really tough times, and people are really, really appreciative," he said.

"It means that everyone starts with their stationery the same. Every kid will show up on the first day of school and their stationery will be there for them."

Because Lakeview School did not ask parents for any donations, it received a payment of $154.13 per student through the Ministry of Education.

This payment was available for schools with an equity index of 432 or higher (previously for schools with a decile 1-7 rating).

Nelson said it was the ministry payment that made free stationery possible at his school.

He said the scheme would cost about $14,000 a year, or approximately $30 per student.

"We have a lot of kids, so it's going to cost a lot of money, but it's definitely a really good way to spend money."

However, at most other schools, parents were expected to pay at least something, and there was a large variation in their expectations.

In a random selection of 10 Auckland primary schools, Checkpoint found a range of more than $100.

The average stationery pack cost $56.

The highest cost was for a year six pack at a North Shore primary school, coming in at $127.

The lowest was a year one pack at South Auckland's Bairds Mainfreight Primary School, which cost just $14.

Bairds Mainfreight principal Fiona McAree-Ngaau said her school only asked for stationery that students would definitely use.

"Where possible the school will supply some of the items instead of passing the cost on to whānau. The cost becomes higher the older our tamariki are, as they are using more stationery."

McAree-Ngaau said supplying stationery affected the school's budget and was only possible because of the funding it received.

"Schools with a different equity index may be in a different financial position."

'It's a big cost'

Several charities have stepped up to help families struggling with their back-to-school costs, operating stationery or uniform banks with a model similar to foodbanks.

Education is a Right, Not A Privilege (Eiarnap) founder Benji Pritchard said as school subjects became more specialised, the equipment required ramped up in price.

"The cost of stationery often gets disregarded as a really small cost, but it's a big cost.

"You've got things like graphics calculators that could cost a family $150, $170."

Pritchard collaborated with schools in the Manawatū and Wellington regions, providing kids in need with the same stationery items as everyone else in a discrete manner.

"The reason we take that approach is so that the kids don't feel like they're sitting there with different books if everyone's got the same book except for them in the class.

"It goes back to not wanting anyone to feel like they're sticking out because of financial backgrounds."

Before the first term last year, the charity distributed about 3000 stationery packs, and Pritchard said while the need remained so high, it was on track to do the same again this year.

Parents on low incomes could also apply for hardship assistance for school costs through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Client service delivery manager Geoff Cook said although this money would have to be paid back, MSD could discuss setting repayments at manageable levels.

"We know this time of year can be tough. Anyone struggling with school costs can come talk with us about how we may be able to help."

'Budgeting is key'

Financial Advice chief executive Katrina Shanks told Checkpoint there was no doubt the financial pressure on families at this time of the year was significant.

She said back-to-school costs for some children starting new schools could be as high as $1500 to $2000 once the costs of stationery, uniform and any technology requirements were taken into account.

"If you had a child which needed technology for the first time in school, you could be looking at anything between $500 and $2000 to just get the technology requirement in place for them.

"And then if you've got multiple children of course, that increases significantly."

Those costs were "absolutely huge for any family," she said, especially coming on the back of Christmas and school holidays. 

Budgeting was "key", she said, and could help to alleviate the pressure at the beginning of the school year.

Her number one recommendation was that families try to budget for school costs throughout the year by setting up a specific account for their children's school needs and putting $30 or $40 into it each pay day.

"That kids account'll slowly build - and that pays for your school camp and your fees and your stationery ... so you're actually allowing yourself to plan and budget for it."

Those who had not been able to plan and put extra money aside should investigate second-hand options for uniforms, she said.

"Swapping with friends is also really helpful - swapping bags of uniforms can bring the cost down."

She said it could pay to wait until stationery shops had sales before going out to buy what was needed, or to shop online to avoid their kids asking for additional items while in the shop.

Buy-now, pay later schemes could also help smooth the costs out over several weeks, but that option should only be considered by people who knew they would be able to make the repayments, Shanks cautioned.