Parents "Look Forward" To Start Of School Year
Parents in South Yorkshire are more likely to be happy to see the start of the new school year than upset to see their children back in class, a poll suggests.
Parents in South Yorkshire are more likely to be happy to see the start of the new school year than upset to see their children back in class, a poll suggests.
But with the long summer break at an end, back-to-school week also proves stressful, with many mothers and fathers worrying about issues such as whether their youngster will be able to keep up with classwork, school costs and homework.
The survey, published by parenting website Netmums, raises concerns about school uniform, with many saying they struggle to buy everything their child needs.
Over a third (36.2%) of the 1,600 people questioned said they miss their children and get upset when term-time begins.
Three in 10 (30%) said they are relieved when their youngsters go back, but do not like to admit it, while a further 21.6% said they look forward to the start of the school year.
Many children also look forward to being back in lessons, with more than two in five (43.4%) of parents saying their youngster gets very excited at the thought of going back to school.
The poll found that among the main classroom worries for parents at the start of September is whether their child will cope with moving up a year, whether they will keep up in lessons and the amount of homework they will get.
Homework is a key concern for some parents, the findings suggest, with one in five (19.6%) saying children are given it too young.
Around one in 10 (10.7%) said their youngster started getting homework when they were in nursery at the age of three, while nearly half (46%) said it began at four in the reception year of infant school.
One in four parents (25.9%) said the amount of homework their child gets is about right.
School costs also cause headaches, the survey found, with nearly six in 10 (57.9%) parents saying the cost of everything they need to buy makes them stressed.
Almost half (46.4%) said they had struggled, but managed to buy all the school uniform their child needs, while one in 10 (10.7%) said they had been unable to buy items, and three in 10 (30.3%) said they could pay for everything comfortably.
Some 45% said their child's school insists that families buy items from a specific supplier which can be more expensive.
Despite the expense, the overwhelming majority (94.8%) of parents are in favour of school uniforms.
Netmums also calculated that parents spend an average of two hours a week on school "admin'' such as filling in forms, washing sports kit and helping at school events.
Anne-Marie O'Leary, Netmums editor-in-chief, said: "Coming at the end of six long weeks of holidays, back to school can be a flashpoint which may cause severe stress for some families.
"The financial costs can be crippling, especially for families with more than one child and those who have had to pay for extra childcare over summer. Plus the sheer scale of preparation and administration can take hours of time many mums simply don't have spare.
"The tensions can make both children and parents ill, so it's important to keep things in perspective. Starting school for the first time, or moving up to a new class, are all milestones that should be celebrated and enjoyed, not feared. And parents should try to enjoy the last few days with their children, as however stressed they feel now, they will miss them once they're back to school.''
The poll questioned 1,654 people through the Netmums website between August 28 and September 1.