It's entirely up to you which activities you decide to try, and you can do them in whatever order you'd like. 

If your school isn't already part of the Cost of the School Day Voice network, and you'd like your young people to get the chance to take part in meetings, events and activities, just sign up to get started.

1. Introduction to the Voice network

Introducing the Cost of the School Day Voice network to your group.

COSD slide for website

These slides will help your group understand what we mean by child poverty in Scotland, why it’s important we all talk about it, and how tackling the cost of the school day can help ensure all children and young people in Scotland get the best out of their education.  

Slides for primary school groups

Slides for secondary school groups

If you have a glow account you can also find these slides on the Cost of the School Day Voice network teams channel.

2. Where are we now?

An active exercise to support discussion on the current cost of your school day.

Find a space where everybody has room to stand in a line. Mark one end "Strongly Agree" and the opposite as "Strongly Disagree". Read out one of the statements below:

  • "It costs a lot to go to school and take part in everything."
  • "If someone needed help with costs in our school they would definitely know where to go."
  • "Everyone in our school can afford what's needed to take part, learn and fit in."
  • "Everyone is equal and included at our school, no matter how much money they have at home."

Then:

  1. Ask everyone to take a minute to think about the statement then pick a place to stand on the line, depending how much they agree or disagree.
  2. Reflect on where people are standing. What do most people think? Why? Are there any strong differences of opinion and why? What led people to choose their spots?
  3. After discussion, start a 10-second countdown and allow people to change position.
  4. Take a picture of the final positions. You can do this again at the end of the year to see how things have changed.

Follow steps 1-4 for each statement, then discuss together:

  • What did all of this tell you?
  • Are there things your school is doing really well?
  • Did it highlight anything that you want to work on?
COSD example toolkit page for activities page

3. Thinking about costs at your school  

A discussion starter about school costs designed to raise awareness of how this can affect young people and their families. 

In the Cost of the School Day toolkit you'll find three case studies to help you and your group start thinking about and exploring costs. On page 46 and 47 you'll meet Ross, Humeira and Jessica. 

They're all part of families where there isn’t a lot of money to spare. With your group, talk about a typical day in your school. To help everyone think about what the day would be like for Ross, Humeira and Jessica, the Cost of the School Day Clock (page 31 of the toolkit) and flashcard resource (page 32 of the toolkit) can be used as visual prompts.

Here are some questions to help your discussion:

  • From the start to the end of the school day, what kinds of things would they need to pay for?
  • What things cost a lot? Is there anything you can think of that would be difficult to afford?
  • How would they fit in at your school?
  • If they weren't able to afford to pay for something, what would happen?
  • Is there anything they would miss out on doing at school because of money? Which things would be a big deal? How would they feel and what would they do?
  • Would they ever feel different or left out because of not having much money? How would they feel and what would they do?
  • Would they be able to get any help from the school? How easy or difficult would it be for them to talk to a teacher or someone else at school? What about their parents or carers?
  • What sorts of things does your school do right now to make sure that they could take part and feel happy? How well do they work?
  • If you were in charge of how the school is run, what would you do to make sure that they could take part in everything and feel happy and included?

4. Design a group logo

An activity to help your group think more about what your aims and actions will be, as well as creating promotional materials to let the rest of the school know what you're doing.

COSD auchenharvie academy and braes high school logos

Cost of the School Day group logos from Braes High School and Auchenharvie Academy

Why don't you design a group logo to let other people know about your group and what you're trying to do? You could use pen and paper or have a look online at free design platforms like Canva.

Make a big list of words to describe what your group is all about and what you're trying to do, then sketch some ideas based on these words.

Pick colours and fonts that stand out.

Learn more about designing logos in this short clip - and, for inspiration, here are some great logos from Voice network groups.

5. Ready to learn?

Hearing what other people think about this topic, and starting a discussion within your own group.

Over 5,000 children in Scotland took part in the Big Question, where they told us which costs matter to them and what they need to be ready to learn at school. This activity is all about listening to some of what children and young people in the Voice network said, and having a conversation about whether this is the same or different at your school.

In your group, watch the Big Question film, presented by Voice network members.

Once you've watched the clip, here are some questions to start your discussion:

  • What did you learn from the film?
  • What do you and your friends need to be ready to learn?
  • How might pupils feel if they're left out because they can't afford what they need?
  • Is there anything your school could be doing to help pupils feel ready to learn?

Take part

If your school isn't already part of the Cost of the School Day Voice network, and you'd like your young people to get the chance to take part in meetings, events and activities, just sign up here.

Join the network here