All the ways to save cash when kids go back to school each term – from uniforms to cheap lunches

SENDING the kids back to school isn’t cheap.

Travel, uniforms, lunches and other costs come to almost £865 a year for each child at primary and £1,756 for a kid at secondary, says the Child Poverty Action Group.

For parents with two kids that’s up to £3,512 a year BEFORE paying for childcare and clubs.

Mel Hunter explains how to make savings with a handy term-by-term money planner.

AUTUMN TERM

NAME EVERYTHING: Uniform and sports kit costs around £450 a year per secondary school child — so label everything to avoid it getting lost.

Get double the wear out of school uniforms by getting kids to change out of it as soon as they get home.

CHECK FOR CHILDCARE AND OTHER HELP: Hundreds of thousands of parents miss out on childcare support so visit childcarechoices.gov.uk to make sure you’re not one of them.

Families on Universal Credit can claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, and the monthly cap increased in June from £646 to £951 for one child, and from £1,108 to £1,630 for two.

Plus if you’re on UC, speak to your council’s family information service to find out if your kids can get free school meals and you might also get a uniform grant.

This also opens the door to the holiday activities and food programme — for childcare and meals during the school breaks.

But you will need to register every term.

For other working parents there’s tax-free childcare — available for kids aged up to 11 or for disabled children up to 16.

For every £8 you pay your childcare provider, the Government will add £2.

TRIM TRANSPORT COSTS: Children under eight should qualify for free transport if their nearest suitable school is more than two miles away, or more than three miles for those eight and over. Kids who get free school meals might qualify for free travel even if their school is closer.

If you do have to fund travel yourself, chat to other parents about lift-sharing and weigh up costs of buses against trains.

For example, in London, children aged 11 to 15 travel free by bus with a Zip Oyster card but paying £10 a week for the train could cost £390 over the school year.

POST-HALLOWEEN SALES: Buy discounted Halloween costumes that could work for World Book Day outfits in the spring term.

Witch and wizard costumes are perfect for Harry Potter and The Worst Witch fans, while spiders can become the kindly character from Charlotte’s Web.

GET THE INSIDE TRACK ON TRIPS: Ask your kids’ teacher about days out and residential trips and inset days for the year ahead so you can budget.

Also, ask your Parent Teacher Association if there is any help available with costs.

SPRING TERM

HAIL THE SALES: Pick up discounted Christmas gift sets in the January sales that could make end-of-year gifts for teachers.

You can always re-wrap them if they are in festive packaging. Stock up on gifts for kids’ birthday parties too.

Plus you can buy discounted clothes in sizes your children can grow into — such as next year’s winter coat.

SEEK SECONDHAND STEALS: It’s also a great time to nab deals on used clothes, toys and sports gear as many families have a big clear-out after Christmas.

Charity shops, Facebook Marketplace and sites such as Vinted will be awash with unwanted Christmas presents and clothes.

MEASURE UP: If you are planning to buy shoes in online sales, Fiona Hawkes, 36, from Bridgwater, Somerset, has some advice.

The mum-of-two and blogger at savvyinsomerset.com says: “Buy your own children’s foot measure to use at home. Get one at startriteshoes.com for £8.”

So you can pounce on bargains, knowing they will be a good fit.

LUNCHES FOR LESS: After Christmas is the perfect time to look for discounted festive food to use for sandwich fillings.

Check the frozen aisle for cut-price gammon and beef.

Look out for reduced crisps, dried fruit and snack selections that can be added to lunch boxes.

BOOK FAMILY BREAKS: In January, many travel firms tempt families to book summer hols by offering free child places, but you’ll have to be quick as they go fast, especially for trips in the school breaks.

Check the “free child place” finder tools on the websites of companies such as Tui, Jet2 and First Choice.

If you’re looking to holiday in this country, you can save big by going in spring instead of summer.

When we looked, some cottage deals were a third cheaper in the May half-term than August.

HALF-TERM FOOD DEALS: Kids-eat-free deals at supermarket cafes and restaurant chains used to only happen in summer but are now staple during half-term.

See moneysavingcentral.co.uk/kids-eat-free.

GET BOOKED: To be ready for World Book Day on March 7 next year, raid charity shops and chat to other parent pals on Facebook and Whatsapp to see if you can organise a swap with an outfit their kid wore last year.

And see the skintdad.co.uk blog for ten easy and cheap ideas.

SUMMER TERM

APPLY FOR HOLIDAY CLUBS: Start planning for the summer holidays as early as possible so you’re not left in the lurch.

The typical cost of a week’s summer holiday childcare is £150 per child — or £900 over the six-week break.

If you haven’t already done so and your children get free school meals, don’t miss out on the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

It provides grant funding to local authorities to coordinate free holiday provision for eligible children.

For those who don’t qualify, make the most of early-bird discounts on holiday camps and clubs.

Ask if there’s any money off for siblings if you’re sending more than one child.

You can often find more affordable — and sometimes free — clubs run by churches, sports clubs, youth groups and local councils, so start your research as soon as you can.

GET UNIFORM DEALS: Make the most of the uniform sales that hit the stores, usually towards the end of June or start of July.

Mum-of-five Claire Roach, the founder of moneysavingcentral.co.uk, says: “I track all the uniform sales on my website.

“That means parents know exactly what dates to buy as these promotions usually only last a few days.

“In July, Aldi typically runs its amazing £5 full school uniform bundle.

“I shop in the Tesco sale as I’ve always found its uniforms to be affordable and durable — with 25 per cent off.”

HOST A CLOTHES AND TOY SWAP: The school year is a great time to gather other parents together for a huge swapping event ahead of the summer.

You can declutter, get cheap uniforms, as well as find nearly-new games and toys to keep your children entertained over the long holidays ahead.

PLAN AHEAD FOR DAYS OUT: Look out for our Sun Superdays offers throughout the year to plan family days out that will help fill the summer months with fun.

By collecting Sun Savers codes when our promotions run you can get two free tickets to some of the country’s best resorts and theme parks.