Thank you for joining the Voice network – we are really looking forward to working with your group! If you haven’t yet signed up, you can fill in this short form, and if you are still thinking about signing up you’ll find more information about the network here.

On this page:

Setting up a group

children's drawing of a girl and boy in school uniform

Your school might already have an existing group of young people working on equity or the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), or you may be planning to form a group. Either is fine. Being part of the network offers a great focus for your group at any stage.

Here's what we've learned from the schools already running Cost of the School Day groups:

  • An age range of primary 5 to 7 and anywhere between S1 to S6 in secondary schools works well.
  • The size of your group depends on what feels manageable and allows everyone involved to take part.
  • It’s good to have a breadth of experiences and income backgrounds represented in your group - this should be a group for all pupils who want to make sure school is fair for everybody.
  • There’s lots of ways to get involved, so whether your group members are interested in organising, talking, writing, creating cartoons, making films, or digital communication, everyone can contribute in a way that suits them.
  • Schools that offer leadership or volunteering achievement awards put time spent on Cost of the School Day Voice towards awards.
  • A group like this should never feel stigmatising for the young people involved.

Recruiting members for your group

If you'd like to recruit members, your group can create posters to let everyone know about you and what you are doing. Alternatively you can use these template posters -  download and print this poster for primary schools, or download and print this poster for secondary schools. 

Activities and resources

These slides can be used during your first group session: slides for primary school groups, and slides for secondary school groups. They explain why it’s vital that we tackle the effects of poverty at school, and what the network does.

These activities are great for getting your group thinking and talking, and coming up with ideas about what can happen in your school.

Regular meetings and keeping in touch 

Each term there's a meeting for primary schools, a meeting for secondary schools, and a group leader meeting. This is a great space to hear what other groups are doing and share practice, explore challenges and successes. 

Meetings showcased a wide range of speakers and topics. I loved the input from the young people. 

Voice network group leader

Further Cost of the School Day resources

clock with a price tag

Learning and advice to help you develop equity work in your school:

  • Ideas Bank: case studies showing some of the ways schools across Scotland are reducing costs, boosting incomes and supporting low income families.
  • Talking about Costs and Money at School: practical and easy steps schools can make to communicate better with parents and carers about costs.

If you have questions please contact Kirsty Campbell: [email protected] or the Cost of the School day team [email protected].

Sharing what's happening in schools

In 2025, the Voice network held an in-person summit with over 80 young people sharing their work and the top activities happening in their schools to reduce cost pressures on families and make sure all young people can take part and thrive.  

The cards below list the top things current schools in the network are doing. Do any of these things happen in your school? Are there any ideas here that you'd like to try out in your school?