As Scottish pupils return to classrooms, desperate parents 'go without' to pay for back-to-school costs

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 00:07, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 00:07, 12 August 2026 Nearly one in three Scottish parents expect to go without things for themselves in order to afford the cost of their children returning to school, according to new research. The polling found that 32 per cent of parents think they will make personal sacrifices to cover back-to-school costs as pupils return to classrooms across the country this week. The same proportion said they felt financially stretched by the new schoolyear, highlighting the continuing pressure on household budgets despite the summer holidays coming to an end in Scotland. The findings, commissioned by Save the Children Scotland, form part of the charity’s No Summer Break from Poverty campaign, which argues that many families face relentless financial pressures throughout the year. While more than a third of parents (37 per cent) said they were looking forward to the return of routine following the summer break, many reported concerns about the cost of uniforms, school supplies and other essentials required for the new term. Claire Telfer, of Save the Children, said many families were moving directly from the costs of entertaining and feeding children during the holidays into a new wave of school-related expenses. New polling suggests 32 per cent of parents expect to make sacrifices to afford back-to-school costs She said: ‘As children across Scotland return to school this week, many parents are hoping life will settle back into routine.  But for too many families, the end of the summer holidays doesn’t bring financial relief, it simply marks the start of the next set of costs.’ She added that no parent should have to sacrifice their own basic needs to ensure their child is ready for school and called on the Scottish Government to accelerate progress towards meeting its child poverty targets. The survey was carried out by polling company Opinium between June 22 and July 3 and questioned 2,000 UK parents with at least one child under the age of 16. The Scottish sample comprised 303 respondents. A spokeman for the Scottish Government said: ‘The Scottish Government is providing £14.6million towards the School Clothing Grant, which can be worth at least £120 for primary school pupils and £150 for secondary school pupils where they are eligible. ‘Meanwhile, all primary school pupils in Primaries 1-5, all children in special schools, and eligible pupils in P6 through to S6 can already benefit from free meals in Scotland, saving families approximately £450 per child, per year, if taken every day. ‘And in future years, the new Welcome to School bag will also provide a selection of items to ensure every child is fully equipped with the essentials they need to take their first step into school.’