The Cost of Back-to-School Supplies Rises £292 Million in 5 Years

Introduction

For millions of families, the start of September means the same routine - replacing outgrown school uniforms and restocking on pens.

These aren't optional purchases. Even though household budgets are getting tighter, a child still needs clothes that fit and pens to write with.

Individually, most of these items look like small, forgettable costs. But add them up across a full back-to-school shop, and the total climbs. 

Across 8.92 million pupils in England, the same basket of everyday supplies now costs families an estimated £292.4 million more than it did in 2021.

About the Data

We analysed official Office for National Statistics (ONS) data to compare the average retail price of everyday back-to-school supplies between January 2021 and June 2026.

We identified 11 items in the ONS dataset relevant to a back-to-school shop and used the ONS Shopping Prices Comparison Tool (opens in a new tab) to investigate costs.

The 11 back-to-school items chosen cover:

• School uniform

• Footwear

• Core stationery

To estimate the national impact, the price increase per basket was applied to the Department for Education's latest school population figures (8.92 million pupils) (opens in a new tab).

How Much Has the Cost of Going Back to School Changed?

*Prices are the average of boys’ and girls’ products. 

The average basket of school supplies has increased from £146.04 to £178.82 since January 2021. That's a rise of £32.78, or 22.4%, for a single-child household.

For a two-child household that becomes an increase of £65.56, taking the total basket from £292.08 to £357.64.

Parents are paying over a fifth more for exactly the same back-to-school shop than they were five years ago.

Which School Items Have Risen the Most?

Not every item has increased at the same rate.

• A4 printer paper: 58.9% 

• Children's sports trainers: 40.4%

• Tie: 35.9%

• Ballpoint pens: 30.4%

• Scissors: 25.2%

The standout percentage increases are split across stationery, and school uniform. 

Children’s sports trainers have risen by almost half since 2021, and even a pack of scissors costs over 25% more than it did five years ago.

Stationery items like pens and paper need replacing more than once across a school year, so smaller percentage rises here still add up over several purchases, not just one.

Which Items Now Cost the Most?

Percentage rises don't tell the whole story. It's worth looking at which items take up the biggest share of the spend.

• Children's sports trainers - £43.05

• Average school shoes - £36.11

• Average top - £25.98

• Tie - £23.56

• Jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan - £18.78

Trainers and clothing remain the most expensive single items in the basket by some distance, even though some of the sharpest percentage increases have come from smaller stationery items.

Back to School Giveaway

We know a giveaway isn’t going to solve the rising cost of getting children ready for a new school year. But with families spending more on the basics, we’d like to help make that back-to-school shop a little more manageable for one family.

That’s why Save My Exams is running a back-to-school giveaway, giving families the chance to win a bundle of supplies for September.

You could get your hands on:

• Notebook

• Highlighter

• Pens

• Tote bag

• Free 12 month Save My Exams subscription

• Water bottle

• Mug

• Power bank

Details of how to enter are coming soon – make sure to follow our Instagram (opens in a new tab) so you don't miss out! 

Conclusion

Back-to-school shopping has become significantly more expensive since 2021. Parents are now spending almost a quarter more on a basket of everyday supplies than they were five years ago.

Across England, that amounts to an estimated £292 million in additional spending on these supplies alone. 

While much of this spending is unavoidable, understanding how costs have shifted can help families plan ahead - and Save My Exams' back-to-school giveaway is one small way we're helping to ease the squeeze.

References

ONS - Shopping Prices Comparison Tool (opens in a new tab)

CPI Index Scores (opens in a new tab) 

Department for Education, school population figures (8.92 million pupils)  (opens in a new tab)

Methodology

Save My Exams analysed price data sourced from January 2021 to June 2026 from the ONS Shopping Prices Comparison Tool (opens in a new tab) and CPI Index Scores (opens in a new tab), which tracks the average retail price of individual consumer goods on a monthly basis. 13 items were identified from the ONS dataset directly relevant to the back-to-school spend: school uniform items (sports trainers were included as a proxy for PE kit footwear, girls’ and boys’ school shoes and tops were combined to find an average cost [resulting in 11 items being analysed], and school uniform bottoms were excluded as there was not comparable data available).

To highlight the change in prices Save My Exams compared the January 2021 average price - the earliest date for which ONS data is available in this dataset - against the June 2026 figure, the most recent available at time of publication. Percentage and absolute price changes were calculated from these two points.

To contextualise the scale of that cost increase, the data was applied to the school population using Department for Education census data (opens in a new tab). The January 2021 school census recorded 8.9 million pupils in England across all school types. The January 2026 census, published June 2026, recorded 8.92 million pupils - effectively unchanged over the five-year period.

All prices are average retail prices as recorded by the ONS. No adjustment for inflation has been applied; figures represent nominal price changes.