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.
Offering cost reducing support for families can only make a difference if they know that it exists and feel comfortable accessing it. These case studies offer insights into how different schools share information with pupils, parents and carers about support, in a non stigmatising way.
Families who are struggling financially might assume that they can't afford trips for children, so when schools have put support to cover costs in place, how can they encourage the use of this help? Bannockburn Primary School in Stirling and Auchenharvie Academy in North Ayrshire have both looked at how the tackle self exclusion.
Many schools are consider how to help with the cost of learning, particularly now that digital devices are so important. St Paul's RC Academy in Dundee now offers resources for home learning as well as covering any costs related to the curriculum and The Rainbow Centre in Inverclyde is tackling digital inequality for families.
Neilsland Primary School in South Lanarkshire has managed to narrow the attendance gap between learners from lower income and higher income families, by tackling the poverty related barriers to attendance, with communication at all levels key to this success.
When CPAG in Scotland and the University of Aberdeen organised a roundtable event at the Scottish Parliament to discuss school uniform affordability and the school clothing grant with MSPs, we knew it was vital to hear directly from young people.
In these case studies we explore how can make a understanding poverty in your catchment area can make a big difference for school staff. We find out how three schools raise awareness amongst their staff.
