Families in Warrington are paying a staggering £21m a year to meet the most basic costs of their children’s schooling, new research reveals today.

Parents across the north west are forking out, on average, almost £800 per child each year for school clothing, sports kits, school meals, trips, books, materials for classes, stationery, computers for homework, travel to and from school and summer clubs or activities.

The research found 483,000 families are struggling to keep up with these costs – leading to many children missing out on key opportunities to make the most of their education, and facing bullying and embarrassment.

The Children’s Commission on Poverty, a panel of children from across England supported by The Children’s Society, spent the past few months investigating the costs of primary and secondary school in the state sector.

Its report, At What Cost? Exposing the impact of poverty on school life, finds these costs are not only affecting family finances, but also harming the wellbeing of the poorest children.

The Commissioners, aged 10 to 19, discovered that across the UK families are spending £6.5bn per year on school costs and more than three million families say they are struggling with the cost.

More than half of the poorest families say they have had to borrow money to pay for essential school items.

Nearly two-thirds of children living in the country’s poorest families say they are embarrassed as a result of not being able to afford key aspects of school. More than 25% said this has led them to being bullied.

Despite government guidance that the cost of school uniforms should be kept down, the Commission found that families are spending £600 million a year on them.

Children are also struggling with the cost of the increased requirement to use computers. A third of children living in the poorest families said they had fallen behind at school because their family couldn’t afford the computer or internet facilities.

Young commissioners are calling on the Government to make sure that all children living in poverty get a free school meal and that school uniforms are made affordable. The Government’s guidance also needs to be strengthened to make sure voluntary school costs really are voluntary.

Cyrus, a 14-year-old commissioner, said: “As a young commissioner the thing that has stood out is how poverty isn’t just a physical problem, but has a mental effect on children. Children are being treated differently if they are living in poverty.

“ They are made to stand out. They don’t have computers good enough to download the software they need to do homework. Some have stickers put on their books.

“If real change is to be made, schools need to be aware of poverty and its effects on children so they can support the child though the most important years of their life.”

Rob Jackson, area director for The Children’s Society in Greater Manchester, said: “Children are supposed to be benefiting equally from a free education. Yet the reality is that families in the North West are paying millions of pounds each year towards the cost of school. Children are being penalised and denied their right to an equal education simply because their parents cannot afford the basics. This is just not right.

“The Government needs to listen to this crucial report by young commissioners and act to make sure no child is stopped from getting an education equal to their peers. It must stop children from being made to suffer because they are living in poverty."

Launched last year, the Commission is a unique opportunity for children to join forces and examine first-hand the stark realities facing thousands of families living below the poverty line. Supported by The Children’s Society, it is leading an 18-month investigation into child poverty in the UK.

The young commissioners chose to examine the effects of the cost of school on the lives of children in poverty because school pays such a crucial role in a child’s life and affects them emotionally on a daily basis. They aim to make sure that children in poverty are not left out of school life and can enjoy all the same benefits as their peers.