Start by planning, raising awareness of poverty, and bringing the whole school community together to take action.
In step one you will:
Creating space for learners to talk about poverty and inclusion not only deepens awareness and understanding, but also supports change and improvement in your school.
"It’s something I’ve become quite passionate about as it’s made me realise that everyday things are issues that some don’t even think about. I definitely feel it’s improved understanding of the situation and it’s made a larger impact having those from different age groups talking about the issue. I would definitely recommend it to others as it’s a rare chance and it’s really a challenge to do, you achieve much more than you think you do by participating in things such as this."
Codi, Braes High School, Falkirk (member of the Voice network)
“Sometimes staff are afraid of stigmatising, afraid of getting it wrong. My advice to schools would be to not be so afraid about talking about poverty because you need to be talking about it. It’s a serious issue and the kids can cope with talking about it actually better than we can. If you give them the platform and give them the space you’ll be blown away by what they’re able to do and achieve.”
Correen Dickson, Teacher, Queen Anne High School
Cost of the School Day session in Buckie High School, Moray
One way to strengthen learner voice is through the Cost of the School Day Voice network. This is a network of children and young people in Scotland taking action on school costs and making education more inclusive.
Since it launched in 2023, more than 300 schools have joined. Voice groups raise awareness, tackle costs in their own settings and share their ideas with other schools nationally. Members take part in online meet-ups, get involved in creative activities and surveys, and have the chance to showcase their work and influence policy at a local and national level.
“It feels amazing cause you know you're making a difference and you inspire other young people.”
Voice Network Member
Hear what young people attending our Cost of the School Day Young People Summit in 2025 thought about the day
A Cost of the School Day working group can lead your school’s efforts to reduce costs and remove cost barriers to participation. This group plans, implements and monitors actions so that change is ongoing.
Using the resources in this toolkit, a working group can:
“It does take time to change attitudes so this needs to be on the agenda and spoken about constantly… it’s not a fad.”
Secondary school teacher
A working group can be a stand-alone team or part of a wider improvement group. Some schools involve existing pupil voice or equity groups, which can be a great way to include children and young people.
What matters is having the right people involved to influence, make decisions and take action. Your group should include:
“It’s been important for us to have a real mix of people so that there’s the senior leadership there driving it but also people from different departments and with different roles. Having ownership across the school makes getting things right and getting things done so much easier.”
Secondary school PT
“It’s important to ask us because we have our opinions on what we want in school and what we need.”
Pupil
Linlithgow Primary School equity group
Linlithgow Primary School equity group work with their teachers to deliver several initiatives within their school, including a community cafe. Learn more about the Blether Cafe in this Ideas Bank case study.
Talking about poverty and school costs can help children and young people reflect on their own values and beliefs, while linking to many parts of the curriculum. Common topics for discussion include:
Cost of the School Day can be explored through different subjects and levels:
Young people recognise the importance of these conversations:
“It’s better to educate kids on poverty … if you were to teach kids more about that then I think they’d take people having less money less as a joke and take it more seriously.”
Young person, S5, Dundee
“You need to be brought up in an environment where you’re open to people who are different. If you’re brought up to be open to talking about these things then you’ll be a better adult and then our generation will be better.”
P7 pupil, Glasgow
An effective working group embeds Cost of the School Day into school culture. By reducing financial pressures, schools make sure every pupil can participate fully, and parents know their concerns around poverty and equity are taken seriously.
“We will continue to create an action plan to target the Cost of the School Day and ensure it remains at the forefront of our (and our wider community’s) minds. This is something that will continue in our school as it is now embedded in our culture.”
Primary School PT working group lead
"We don't want additional pressures for families, we don't want additional pressures for children, where you know you're setting some sort of home link task or you're discussing something you could access at home, but actually they can't do that. So I think it's about being very inclusive and ensuring that anything that we're offering, we can back up and support families. You know, I think that's really important."
Rachel Baxter, Headteacher, Netherburn Primary School
An independent evaluation of Cost of the School Day found that it builds poverty awareness and supports policies and practices which reduce pressures and increase participation. The evaluation highlights what helps schools and local authorities to sustain this approach over time to make the approach last.
Take a look at the pointers below and think about how they apply in your setting. You’ll find resources throughout the rest of the Toolkit to help on this journey.
Read about the impact of local authority support on reducing costs and supporting children and families in West Lothian.
