Schools who offer a range of support for families living on lower incomes have also put thought into how this help can be promoted to boost uptake. Balwearie High School in Fife and Braes High School in Falkirk have both found multiple ways to get the message out to parents and carers.
To help reduce the cost of the school day Kirkintilloch High School, East Dunbartonshire, bought a big cabinet for stationery and other products students might need, and put it where everyone has access.
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.
Parents say they feel frustrated and unseen when their schools aren’t mindful of financial pressures. A proactive approach tells parents that their school understands financial challenges and that conversations about costs and money are possible and welcomed.
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.
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.
