January 2025
New opportunities for Voice network members in Scotland
We’ve got some great things happening for Voice network groups in 2025:
Cost of the School Day conference planning committee
Sign up and be part of designing our first ever youth conference! This face to face event will bring together young people from all over Scotland to look to the future and design a manifesto for change ahead of the 2026 elections. We want Voice network members to be right at the heart of planning this event, so if members of your group would like to get involved, we would be delighted to hear from you. We’ll be sharing details soon about how your school can apply to attend this October.
Children in Scotland conference – 29 May in Glasgow:
Would your pupils like to design and run a workshop with us that focuses on poverty and the right to education? We’re looking for Voice members to help us tell attendees about problem costs at school, what helps and how getting young people involved in anti-poverty work in their school communities can support everybody’s right to education.
Get in touch with [email protected] if your group would be interested in any of these opportunities.
November 2024
School meal reports
The cost of school meal debt: this report looks at the challenges facing schools in England when implementing a means-tested school meal system, and the debt families are incurring for school meals in primary schools.
The case for universal free school mealsTES magazine article which includes the independent evaluation of universal primary free school meals for children in London, carried out by Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in partnership with Reconnect London.
October 2024
Challenge Poverty Week resources
Talking about poverty at school: four activities designed to get your school community thinking and talking about poverty during Challenge Poverty Week (7-13 October 2024).
Talking about costs and money at school - advice from parents and carers: ideas from parents and carers on how to create a supportive school culture so that families feel able to talk to the school about money problems.
Briefing on boosting family incomes: 'Pathways to money and welfare rights advice from education settings', by Public Health Scotland, focuses on how welfare rights advice can make a difference for families, gives examples of different referral pathways to advice and makes recommendations for improving access to advice for parents and carers.
Cost of the School Day news
The most recent news, briefings and reports from our Cost of the School Day projects.
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - second reading briefing
This briefing provides information on policies announced in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools…
More than a meal - An independent evaluation of universal primary free school meals for children in London
In 2023, the Mayor of London committed to providing free school meals to every primary aged child in…
The cost of school meal debt
This short report looks at the challenges facing schools when implementing a means-tested school…
New advice for schools on boosting family incomes and talking about costs
To mark ‘Adequate Incomes’ day of Challenge Poverty Week 2024, we are sharing two new resources…
Voice network members help to launch new schools anti-poverty guidance
This week, Cost of the School Day Voice network members from Trinity High School in Rutherglen took…
Free school meals in Yorkshire and the Humber
This briefing looks at free school meals (FSMs) in Yorkshire and the Humber, including new…