Back-to-school costs 'hit £700m'

Parents are set to spend a sum of more than £700 million on preparing their children for the new school year, the latest research has revealed.

A study by Opinium Research found that parents will collectively spend some £736 million on items such as books, sportswear, pens and uniforms in the near future.

The average family will spend £77 per child, with this increasing to £81 for children of secondary school age.

Parents of junior and infant school age children will pay out £67 and £63 respectively, meanwhile.

Scottish parents will spend the most, at £89 per child, while those in the North West will pay out £88 and in London £86.

Parents in the East Midlands will spend the least, with just £60 being splashed out on average.

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