It doesn’t matter how affluent a school community appears, families can be struggling financially and could benefit from entitlements and help at school. To make sure families don't miss out, good communication is key.
Understanding the challenges facing families on low incomes supports greater empathy and engagement. Promoting awareness and understanding of the challenges facing families on low incomes to everyone in your school community will help boost that knowledge.
As a way of helping to boost family incomes and reduce the impact of child poverty, school communities are increasingly offering referral pathways to welfare and money advice for families. This briefing offers examples of existing pathways and makes recommendations about how we can make sure more families are able to access help in this way.
How some schools are overcoming challenges to encouraging school meal uptake and ensuring that children and young people use their free meal allowance.
Giffnock Primary School in East Renfrewshire's Parent Equalities Group has been running a monthly pop-up uniform stall where parents and carers can donate pre-loved uniform and pick up items that they need.
The newly formed Giffnock Primary School parent equalities group in East Renfrewshire adapted a Cost of the School Day survey to find out how families had been affected financially by Covid and lockdown.
