Most parents have cut back or delayed payments due to voluntary school contribution charge — report

The majority of parents have had to either cut back or delay payments so that they can pay the voluntary school contribution charge.

According to a new report from St Vincent de Paul (SVP) surveyed 1,500 respondents, and found that nearly 90 per cent of adults had faced issues regarding the charge, while more than three quarters said it was not clearly communicated that the payments were optional.

Commenting on the report, Niamh Dalziel of SVP told Newstalk: "We want to see new regulations on voluntary and any other parents contributions.

"We want to see an increase in the capitation grant to ensure that schools can meet their running costs."

She added that SVP would like to see 'poverty-proofing' of all school policies across the Irish education system.

In addition, the report found the average payment per child is €140, but it was found that some schools charge as much as €550 per child.