It always seems a bit mean to be writing about going back to school in the first week of August.

In the eyes of a child, the long days of summer still stretch out before them and returning to uniforms and homework seems like a far away concept.

For parents however, they know it’s only a few short weeks in which those uniforms need to be purchased, labelled and laid out neatly for that first day back at school.

In our house, my daughter Molly will be stepping into the school system in shiny black patent shoes, which I might add cost me a pretty penny last weekend. In fact, the whole shopping expedition put a fair dent on the credit card.

In just a few hours, I spent over €500 on a uniform, tracksuit, shoes, runners, a schoolbag, lunchbox and stationery.

We still have to pay the not-so-voluntary contribution fee and put a coat on her back, not to mention the little extras that you forget to budget for, but quickly add up.

Thankfully, due to the new Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which the Government rolled out last year, we have been spared those resource costs.

However, all of this verifies that the survey conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions is pretty close to the mark; it estimates that when it comes to primary school costs, the back-to-school season stands at €1,086 – and that’s per child.

Deirdre Verney details more on page 16.

The great crest debate

As parents compare purchases and bargains in the coming month, the conversation will inevitably evolve to the great debate – to crest or not to crest.

The school that Molly will be attending has a crested uniform and it’s not cheap. Her cardigan was €34.95 – I could have bought three jumpers for that price in Dunnes Stores or M&S – while her tracksuit was nearly €40.

However, there is no comparison in the quality.

Her cardigan is a blend of wool and acrylic which I know will keep her warm on those cold and wet winter mornings, while the tracksuit is a soft fleece, which is comfortable and practical.

Of course, when you’re dropping that kind of money, you want to make sure it lasts the school year and in the dressing room, I had to ask a more experienced mother for her opinion on whether to size up.

She surveyed my daughter who admittedly looked ridiculous swamped in an oversized tracksuit and diplomatically advised on the smaller size. I know she was right, but I’ll no doubt be speaking out the other side of my mouth, if come April, I’m back following a spring growth spurt.

One purchase that I hope will be many years away is a mobile phone for Molly – but the pressure on parents to get one for their child seems to be mounting from a younger age.

Fourth class appears to be when the pleas intensify and it seems that if a parent can hold out until confirmation day, they have more willpower than a lad on the dry for Lent at a St Patrick’s Day session.

However, the impact of mobile phones on young people’s sleep and anxiety, not to mention the potential of online bullying, cannot be denied and the power of parents is in numbers.

Jacqueline Hogge has a very interesting piece on page 8 about a rural primary school in Wexford where the parents and the principal have come together to prohibit mobile phones.

She also details that a bill has been put forward in the Dáil to roll this out nationwide. At the risk of sounding like an ole mammy, if it comes to pass, it will silence the ever-powerful pleas, “that everyone in school has one."