Citing analysis which said families using after-school provision five days a week were spending £800 a year more than in 2010, Labor called on ministers to do more to tackle what they said was another significant pressure on the cost of living. The average family using a five-day-a-week after-school meal now spends more money on it than on their weekly food shop, the party said. Using research from children’s charity Coram, Labor said families in England using after-school provision for a 38-week academic year paid an average of £2,537, £827 more than the 2010 cost of £1,710 . The 2022 sum was, the party said, 148% of the 2010 level, in contrast to consumer price inflation over the same period, which stood at 132%. Workers said the increased costs, combined with higher prices for food and other essentials and for energy, meant some parents could struggle to work, while children would miss out on activities and time with friends. He said this was particularly concerning in conjunction with the cost of school uniforms. A 2020 UK survey by the Children’s Society found the average total cost of uniforms for a child at a state secondary school was £337 a year and £315 for each primary school child. Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said: “As parents struggle with the rising cost of living, rising childcare costs are making life increasingly difficult for families. For many, going back to school just means more bills for parents to pay. “The work has been clear for months – we would support families and boost children’s development now with breakfast and after-school clubs for every child, alongside our plan to freeze the energy price cap to save families £ 1,000 in their accounts this winter.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A Department for Education spokesman said: “We recognize that families with children are facing price rises due to global inflation and are doing more to support households with over £37 billion to help those most in need through the Household Support Fund. “We have invested over £4bn in each of the last five years to support families with the cost of childcare and in July we announced plans to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare which will benefit hundreds of thousands of parents across the country. “
