THE founder of a school uniform recycle group labelled the ‘high’ price tag on school equipment and uniforms ‘absolutely ridiculous’.

Blackburn with Darwen’s group Mums the Word were set up to help low income families find an alternative way to spread the cost of expensive school uniforms.

A survey conducted by Nationwide Credit Cards, found parents are expected to spend almost £200 on attire when sending children back after the summer break.

The research conducted with more than 1,700 parents, revealed the average cost for preparing children aged between four and 16 for school costs an average of £186 for parents.

The report found that clothing and footwear makes up the bulk of the costs, with school uniforms, shoes, jackets and sports kits costs more than £100 combined.

Sports equipment, school bags, stationary, books and technology such as tablets to help their child’s education also help to bump up the cost.

Caroline Fotios, founder of Mums the Word, said: “The high figure that parents are expected to pay for their children’s uniforms and attire is absolutely ridiculous.

“We get a lot of concerned parents speaking to us about the high costs for schoolwear, and we understand their worries about paying for it.”

“Mums the Word is a not for profit organisation and we really do try and make things much more affordable for parents.

“We have always had our community charity system and we can now make new uniforms and are encouraging schools to get behind this.”

The findings also show how many parents resort to buying kits from supermarkets with discount chains Lidl and Aldi helping to fuel school uniform price wars.

On average the price for shoes is £25.90, the uniform is £31.29 and a further £35.80 is needed for sports gear.

Jake Berry, Rossendale and Darwen MP, said: “It is a very large amount that parents are expected to pay, especially those parents who have more than one child - they could easily be paying up of £600.

“I would like to take the opportunity to encourage schools in the area to make uniforms much easier to afford for low income families and and I would also like to encourage every school to set up a recycling group like Mums the Word we have in Darwen.

“If schools can get behind lower costs we can make it affordable.”