Parents Stressed Over School Uniform Costs
60% of parents here are getting stressed out by the cost of everything they need to buy.
But they're also more likely to be happy to see the start of the new school year than upset to see their children back in class.
The survey, published by parenting website Netmums, raises concerns about school uniform, with many saying they struggle to buy everything their child needs.
Leyla Brooke has two children in primary school. She says "now I've got two in school uniform, it's now the cost of two pairs of school shoes as an example, it's two sets of school uniforms and it's how long will they last? Having had a child gone through her first year already I know the amount of marker pen that comes back on white shirts and paint everywhere...
"It can get really expensive, especially when thier kids and they play so often things get ripped or torn, things get drawn on accidentally ... If you're looking at the branded uniforms they're even more expensive than plain ones and then it becomes most of a cost for parents."
Almost half of parents said they had struggled, but managed to buy all the school uniform their child needs, while one in 10 said they had been unable to buy items, and three in 10 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.
Meanwhile, over a third of the 1,600 people questioned said they miss their children and get upset when term-time begins.
Three in 10 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.
Leyla adds "this is the first time we've had school holidays as such so it's quite a relief they've going back to school. Don't get me wrong - I miss her - but she's been asking 'when does school start again, when can I go back to school, when can i see my friends' and trying to keep two children entertained for six weeks is quite a difficult task."
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 saying children are given it too young.
Around one in 10 said their youngster started getting homework when they were in nursery at the age of three, while nearly half said it began at four in the reception year of infant school.
One in four parents said the amount of homework their child gets is about right.
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.
The poll questioned 1,654 people through the Netmums website between August 28 and September 1.