Back-to-school costs are stable

RETURN-to-school costs for families have stayed broadly stable this year, with the government saying they were just 0.3% higher than in 2012 while family pressure group Familles de France sees a 1.4% rise.

Familles de France said that buying all the kit needed for the rentrée scolaire 2013 would cost €185 for a child entering sixième, first year at secondary, and said that the allocation de rentrée scolaire benefit was not high enough to cover all the costs involved.

The benefit, which has been increased 1.2% from last year, amounts to €360.47 for children from 6-10 years, €380.36 for 11-14 and €393.54 for 15-18. Familles de France called on the government to make significant changes in the way it was calculated, especially for those going to lycées professionnels.

Families began receiving their allocations this week and it will benefit five million children.

The Education Ministry said that the 0.3% rise in costs was less than inflation and this could be reduced further if families followed purchasing advice it gave in May.

Familles de France said that it had found higher prices in its shopping surveys in 275 shops across 44 departments. It found that while schoolbags were 1.2% cheaper, school clothing was 1.9% dearer.

The biggest price increases were found in hypermarkets, which were 6.4% higher than last year; while supermarkets were up 3.9% and specialist shops had cut prices by nearly 11%. It advised families to recycle items from previous years.