Jenny Gilruth at Voice network Scottish Parliament event
“I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you for all the really important work you've been involved in delivering. You're not just speaking on behalf of your school, you're speaking on behalf of thousands of children and young people all over Scotland through this network. And the work you're doing tells us so much about the work we need to do as a government to tackle child poverty, but also to reduce financial barriers for families.”
Cabinet Secretary for Education Jenny Gilruth (now Deputy FM) to young people in the Voice network
Eighty five young people from the Cost of the School Day Voice network gathered in Glasgow for the Cost of the School Day Young People Summit 2025, to share their views, learn and meet with John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, to ask what more his government intends to do to ensure no more financial barriers to education for children living in poverty.
First Minister with Voice network delegates at the summit
Play to find out what happened at the Cost of the School Day Summit
Over 300 young people have come to our online Voice network meetings this year to learn from each other, share the anti-poverty work they've been involved with in their schools and plan network activities and events.
Slide from Voice network meeting
"Our Cost of the School Day group is here to help the school and the pupils that come to school so everyone can learn.”
Falla Hill Primary School pupils
“We recently did an assembly to our school about cost of the school day and told everyone about the School Shouldn't Cost manifesto.”
Dedridge Primary School pupil
Thank you to everyone who came along and took part! Find out about upcoming Voice network meetings and opportunities.
Maya, Adyan and Sophia from Dunlop Primary School at the Summit
All of the young people who came along to the Summit shared what they learned with others in their schools.
Maya, Adyan, and Sophia made a special Sway newsletter to tell everyone about the day, assisted by their teacher Mrs Nouillan.
Voice network members at Linlithgow Primary School shared what they do for the Cost of the School Day Ideas Bank. Pupils run a termly cafe, raising money in a way which doesn’t place extra stress on families. This is just one of the great anti-poverty things they do at their school, alongside getting involved with wider Voice network activities.
Linlithgow Primary School equity group
“It's been amazing, hasn't it? We got so many opportunities to do other things that we wouldn't have done.”
Ella, talking about being part of the Voice network.
Orla and Daisy at the Edinburgh City Council event
Network members Orla and Daisy from Braes High School in Falkirk gave a speech to Edinburgh teachers at the launch of Making Education Equal for All 2026-2030, telling them about the importance of involving young people in equity work, and some of the great Cost of the School Day initiatives at their school.
Lily and Penny from Boclair Academy co-delivered a poverty stigma workshop to over 100 practitioners at the Children in Scotland conference, telling them what needs to happen to make support at school normal, non stigmatising and open to all.
Coming up, we are really looking forward to going along to a pupil led Cost of the School Day conference in West Lothian who have an incredible 87 schools signed up to the Voice network.
Lily and Penny at the Children in Scotland conference
Fifty young people joined committees this year. The Summit Planning committee, Bute House committee and the Manifesto Action group met regularly to plan and confidently deliver fantastic events and resources:
“I felt that it was really important to address and be part of a committee that targets cost issues when it comes to education, because I believe strongly that is something that no parent or child should worry about.”
Carolina, Kilmarnock Academy
As part of joining online meetings and taking part in committees and events, Voice network members have been gaining new knowledge and developing their skills.
Slide from online learning session with Media Education
Network members have been learning what other schools are doing to tackle poverty, trying things out in their own settings and finding out more about how to communicate and campaign. All of the young people taking part in opportunities have worked hard with us to prepare speeches or written inputs and to plan how they would like to share their views and be heard.
“I found it really fun to mix with other schools and see what they're doing in their schools to help, and it was also really fun to learn more about child poverty and ways we can stop it.”
P7 pupil
Facilitator and young people working together in a Summit workshop
At Summit workshops in September, young people from 35 different schools were sharing practice with each other, learning about effective communication and campaigning and sharing their vision of a Scotland without poverty using stop motion animation.
"I enjoyed meeting new people, being heard, helping with something so important... and the lunch!"
Summit delegate
"I enjoyed the manifesto activity! It was great to contribute to every manifesto station!"
Summit delegate
Young people being interviewed at the Summit
The ideas and thoughts of thousands of young people formed the calls made in School Shouldn't Cost: Poverty and Education Manifesto 2026-31 which was shared widely with MSPs.
"There are great things happening in lots of our schools to help with costs and support us. But poverty is still affecting our education in so many ways. Poverty can affect how ready we feel to learn, what equipment we have for classes, basics like uniform and food and access to school trips that spark passion for subjects. Poverty can have a detrimental effect on our learning and can hold us back."
Extract from a letter to political party leaders written by young people from the network Manifesto Action Committee
“This document is very important. Not just for me as a Cabinet Secretary but for all politicians who work in this building, and for all political parties. We should all be thinking about the cost of the school day and how we can all work together to eradicate those problems.”
Cabinet Secretary for Education (now Deputy FM), Jenny Gilruth
Young people in the Manifesto Action Group developed campaign resources like letter templates and social media messages to help other Voice network groups share School Shouldn't Cost manifesto calls with politicians ahead of the Scottish election.
Nairn's winning entry to the School Shouldn't Cost manifesto poster competition
Some schools sent posters to politicians and entered them into our competition. Nairn from Linlithgow Primary School won with this great poster about equal access to trips and opportunities.
Young people from the Voice network were brilliant at questioning the First Minister and speaking with Scottish Government policy officials who came along to the Summit to hear their views on education and equity. Young people asked tough questions during a question and answer session with the First Minister:
First Minister of Scotland answers questions from young people during at the Summit
“We think the government needs to be working to ensure similar experiences for young people across Scotland’s schools. We are keen this afternoon to hear how you First Minister will work with us to make that a reality.”
Pupils from St John Ogilvie High School
Watch Mollie and Brooke from Trinity High School interview the First Minister for Scotland
"It’s so important that young people are able to influence their government and their country. Think about how things are for you today and think well, how could we do things differently or better? Make sure I hear about it and I’ll be listening carefully.”
John Swinney FM, interviewed by young people at the Cost of the School Day Summit
First Minister and Voice network members at Bute House
Young people from the Voice network shared their School Shouldn't Cost manifesto calls with the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education at Bute House.
Twelve young people from six network schools presented their views and joined a discussion with John Swinney and Jenny Gilruth about how the government can help further reduce the impact of poverty in Scotland’s schools.
"When you read a report or a budget line, we hope you’ll remember that behind every word and every figure there is a child who just wants a fair chance at life. A child who wants to learn without shame, grow without fear and dream without limits. If we want children to believe in their future, we must first remove the barriers in their present.”
Sierra and Sammy from Levenmouth Academy
Thirty five young people took their School Shouldn’t Cost message to the Scottish Parliament ahead of the election.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Voice network members at the Scottish Parliament
“It genuinely was my favourite parliamentary event ever!”
Adult attendee
“We had a great time. It was such a valuable experience for the girls, and we celebrated it at Assembly the next day in front of the whole school. They were buzzing.”
Primary School Voice Network Leader
“We've loved being involved in the Cost of the School Day Voice network. Pupils feel so empowered that they've got a chance to speak in front of all these people.”
Primary School Voice Network Leader
Play to hear what young people at the Parliament event want politicians to do
"I would like politicians to take home that poverty is real for children and it's happening all round Scotland. And they need to, like they are doing a lot, but they need to do more to help children out of the poverty cycle."
"I think politicians need to work hard to get young people involved in these conversations. Because we have opinions and we know what we want to say."
Voice network members talking about what they would like politicians to take away from after the School Shouldn't Cost event.
The Voice network and their manifesto were mentioned in the Scottish Parliament in a question from Bill Kidd MSP, following the Ministerial Statement on the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan:
"Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting young people from the Child Poverty Action Group’s Cost of the School Day Voice network in Parliament to discuss their manifesto. I must say that they made a lot more sense than many adults - which members have heard before - by stressing the need to ensure that children and young people are involved in shaping policy. Will the Cabinet Secretary say how we can ensure that children’s and young people’s voices are properly heard...?"
Caitlin from Trinity High School telling candidates about the need for continued expansion of Secondary Free School Meals
Voice network members were fantastic at asking tough questions of candidates at the Speak Up! hustings about what they planned to do to tackle child poverty if they were elected in May.
Patrick Harvie from the Scottish Green Party said afterwards that:
"It was really good to hear not only those that are expecting to be able to vote in the next couple of weeks, but those who are not yet at voting age, learning that fundamentally politicians have to be accountable to them."
"Young people are just so engaged, smart, capable and thoughtful. Some of the questions they've come up with today just give me so much hope in terms of what our future looks like, looking out for one another."
Labour candidate, Vonnie Sandlan
"The questions were just absolutely spot on about what actually impacts on young people, and what they want to see politicians do. So it was a refreshing conversation and really, really challenging for the politicians.”
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing
Harrison from Holyrood High School in Glasgow sharing priorities from young people attending the hustings
Lots of young people from the Voice network feature in this short film about the Speak Up! hustings event.
Young people from the Voice network helped to inform the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026-31 with their words included in the final report:
“Paying bills can make things difficult, can cause arguments.”
“If people can’t afford, say, electricity or heating or stuff like that, it can affect their living conditions, it can affect their standard of life, and it can affect their mental health. It puts a lot of stress on families.”
The Voice network appeared in the Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation as an example of ‘children and young people’s engagement in decision making’. Findings from the Big Question survey of over 5000 young people were also cited, as well as other Voice network young people’s ideas on what needs to happen next in the Scottish Attainment Challenge to help all young people learn, take part and thrive at school.
Join us to learn new skills, share practice, and take action on poverty.
