The Cost of the School Day�September 2026
How do we reduce financial pressures for all our families to ensure full participation?
Uniform
We work in partnership with the local charity shop who provide good quality, freshly laundered clothing. We keep some uniform in school for new families . We promote clothing grants widely. In recent years we moved to a cheaper supplier whilst retaining the quality. We have an open minded approach to uniform and whilst we love to see our children wearing the uniform, we don’t apply pressure where this is not adhered to. Our children being in school is the most important thing to us.
Travelling to School
Normalising walking. We promote this through our WOW challenge where our children earn badges for walking to school. Walking is free and good for health and wellbeing.
Learning in School
We provide stationery and learning tools. We wear comfy clothes on gym days. This reduces the school uniform cost.
Educational Visits
Pay in instalments with plenty of notice. Parent council pay a contribution to all educational visits. Access free visits where possible. Ensuring that families know that if cost is a barrier then they can speak to the Head Teacher and we can support.
Primary 7 Trips
Days | cost | VAT | bedding | VAT | bus | TOTAL |
Wed – Fri | 300 | 60 | 15.50 | 3.10 | 36 | 414.60 |
Mon – Wed | 260 | 52 | 15.50 | 3.10 | 36 | 366.60 |
Sun – Wed | 275 | 55 | 15.50 | 3.10 | 36 | 384.60 |
Mon - Fri | 425 | 85 | 15.50 | 3.10 | 36 | 564.60 |
This is one of the biggest costs. It is valued by many and gives new experiences and strengthens relationships. We looked at the skills this was helping to develop and nurture and considered how we could provide this at a lower cost. The table below illustrates the cost of a Residential Trip. We created a package for a fraction of the price which encompasses more activities and experiences. Details can be found overleaf.
Charity
Come as you please day – chuck it bucket. This means no set amount. This lowers stigma whilst still enabling us to teach about global citizenship. We consider frequency of when we are asking for donations. We normalise not joining in by some staff wearing normal attire. We are teaching our children importance of raising awareness alongside money.
Fun Events
We don’t do dress up days for world book days where expensive costumes detract from the purpose.
We do have Festive Fridays in December which our children love but we do it EVERY Friday so that any items are well worn and we promote a touch of Christmas NOT expensive jumpers. We hold fundraising raffles and the school organises a free raffle for ALL our children.
Participation
We work with Active Schools to plan experiences and opportunities for children who may miss out.
Our Next Steps
Continue to reflect upon the potential financial barriers to participation in our context.
Share insights, approaches and tools with others to support solutions in school and beyond.