These activities can help your group to start conversations, consider what impact poverty and costs can have on school life and think about what action you're going to take. This is all about how you might go about taking action.
Between 2017 and 2020 the Cost of the School Day team at Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland worked with schools and more than 700 young people in Dundee, to produce findings which supported actions like cheaper uniform suppliers, more inclusive homework policies, greater consistency in lending resources, breakfast provision, free ‘ready to learn’ packs, non-stigmatising approaches to fundraising, trip subsidies, and improved promotion of financial entitlements.
Coatbridge High School in North Lanarkshire ran an all day event focusing on the cost of living, with workshops during the day for pupils and a drop-in Cost of Living Fayre for families after school, which showcased the work of a range of organisations in the area and covered wide spectrum of supports for families.
Learners at Trinity High School have been working with teaching staff to identify costs and create a costs calendar. The calendar will help all members of the school community see where costs arise, what support is offered, and widen participation for all learners.
During Challenge Poverty Week, Irvine Royal Academy pupils interviewed their Head Teacher about what their school does to reduce costs. The aim was to raise awareness and think about what more could be done.
5,394 children and young people around Scotland took part in the Cost of the School Day Big Question, sharing their thoughts on school trips, food, what helps them feel ready to learn and their ideas about what should change. Their insights have been put together in this report and film.
Wallace High School and Bannockburn Primary School in Stirling are both aware of how important families voices are to adapting and evolving their practice. Scott Pennock at Wallace High shares strategies for engaging with a wide parental demographic and Audrey Ross at Bannockburn Primary describes how their practice changed following discussions with families.
Lots of schools have decided to run breakfast clubs, knowing that they help children to have a better start to the day. There is no one way to approach setting up a breakfast club, funding and running it however, and in this case study there are ideas about how this has worked in several different settings.
In 2020 Dundee City Council asked all schools to come up with ways of celebrating World Book Day in the most inclusive way possible, with little or zero cost to families. This case study features the work of two Dundee schools who came up with really creative and exciting ways to do this, Rosebank Primary School and Downfield Primary School.
In more and more schools children and young people are getting involved in creating and promoting initiatives which reduce costs barriers to education in their school. This case study is all about the work of young people at Braes High School in Falkirk, St John Ogilvie High School in South Lanarkshire and Buckie Community High School in Moray.
Specialised staff members are a key part of some school's communication strategy, and can be particularly good at keeping in touch with families who can be harder to reach. Wallace High School in Stirling and The Rainbow Family Centre in Inverclyde have experience of building relationships and trust through face to face engagement.
