Cost of the School Day

breaking down the financial barriers to education
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Cost of the School Day Voice network

Join The Cost of the School Day Voice - a new network of children and young people taking action on school costs and having their say on poverty and education policy. 

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Cost of the School Day eLearning

This new, free to access, comprehensive eLearning course is for anyone who has an interest in promoting equity in education.

Introduction

“If all of your friends or people you know go to the after school clubs, school trips, that kind of isolates you from them. You're singled out, you're not with them, just a spare person.

Boy, age 15

Cost of the School Day helps all children and young people to take part and be happy at school. We work with everyone to make sure money is never an issue.

Uniforms, trips, school lunches, gym kits, pencils and pens, and dress down days can be difficult to afford for low-income families. When children and young people can’t take part in opportunities because of cost, they miss out and feel excluded, and it is harder for them to learn, achieve and be happy at school. 

 

 
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The Cost of the School Day Ideas Bank

If you are looking for ways to reduce costs and make sure all children and young people get to take part in the school day, we've collected together some great ideas from schools here.

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The Cost of the School Day Toolkit

Helping your whole school community to address the Cost of the School Day - the newly updated Toolkit includes lots of resources, information and great practice ideas.

Resources, reports and briefings

Cost of the School Day offers free resources, reports and briefings for schools and local authorities to help everyone to reduce costs and boost equity.

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Cost of the School Day Films

Find out how schools around Scotland are making Cost of the School Day changes.

Latest news

UK Cost of the School Day evaluation

Our UK Cost of the School Day programme, carried out in partnership with Children North East, has been transformative for schools and pupils. An independent evaluation of the project between 2019-22 highlights its impact on families, schools, local authorities and the wider education system.

How school costs make it harder to go to school

05 October 2023
Pupils and parents have told us that costs associated with going to school and stretched family finances are affecting children’s attendance, as Georgina Burt explains in this blog.

'There is only so much we can do' - school staff in England

People working in schools witness the impact of poverty on children and families on a daily basis, and the scale and severity of the problem mean schools are reeling up against it. To understand exactly how child poverty affects the whole school system in England, the Education Anti-Poverty Coalition, convened by Child Poverty Action Group, has conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of professionals working in every role in schools in England.