Nearly two in five parents ‘spending more on children’s education this year’

Nearly two in five (37%) parents expect to spend more money on their children’s education this year following the coronavirus lockdowns, a survey has found.

Some 18% of parents anticipate spending more on children’s after-school clubs, after missing out on them for much of 2020, according to Direct Line Life Insurance.

And 17% said they will be paying more on tutoring and extra after-school lessons, while 13% are setting aside funds for summer schooling.

One in eight (12%) parents are spending more on transport by dropping their children off at school directly, as they are concerned about them using public transport, the research found.

Nearly half (45%) of parents surveyed said their children have largely been happy to return to school, but one in six (15%) said that their child has remained anxious since returning.

More than half (53%) of parents said home schooling during the pandemic had already added to their costs. Nearly a fifth (18%) said their spending had increased “significantly”.

At the same time, many parents said their incomes had decreased.

Vincent Guadagnino, communications manager at Direct Line Life Insurance, said: “As lockdown restrictions continue to ease, many children are continuing to head back into the classrooms again, following what appears to have been an expensive time for parents.

“We know that this past year has been an incredibly hard time for everyone, with many families seeing their income decrease.

“Parents have been hit particularly hard having to juggle multiple responsibilities with the additional time and costs spent to teach their children. The reassurance that financial security brings must not be underestimated, especially in such uncertain times.”

Two surveys of 2,000 adults each were conducted across the UK, with one in February and another in March.