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Introduction to the Voice network for Primary Schools

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Welcome to the Cost of the School Day Voice network!

Your school is part of a big network of pupils across Scotland who are working on the Cost of the School Day.

There are over 300 Voice network groups:

Finding out about child poverty
Looking at what this means in their schools
Exploring costs at school
Coming up with ways to make school more affordable for families
Meeting up to share ideas and successes
Having their voices heard at national events and meetings.

The Cost of the School Day team at Child Poverty Action Group is very excited that you are taking part – we can't wait to hear what you get up to.

What do we mean by child poverty? Let’s find out a bit more…

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What do we mean by child poverty?

'Poverty' means not having enough money to meet all your basic needs and take part in things like everyone else.

We all need money for essentials like clothes, food and travel. We need decent warm homes. We need to take part in things that make us happy.

Poverty can make things harder for families. Not having enough money can mean not having everything you need and missing out.

How many children in Scotland are living in poverty?

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Key facts about child poverty in Scotland

Around 1 in 5 children in Scotland are growing up in poverty.

That means 210,000 children are growing up in households where families are worried about money and affording everything they need.

Poverty can be found everywhere in Scotland. In some parts of the country there are more families living in poverty than in other areas.

Did you know that 75% of children growing up in poverty live in a household where at least one adult is working? We call this in-work poverty.

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Why is there child poverty in Scotland?

Lots of children agree that child poverty is very unfair and needs to end. Here are 3 reasons there is still child poverty in Scotland:

Not enough money from work. Having a job doesn’t always mean you have enough money to afford everything your family needs. Some jobs don’t pay enough money or don't offer enough hours to earn more money.

Not enough money from benefits. Some families on low incomes can get help from the government through benefits. Often though, this isn't enough to afford everything that a family needs.

High cost of living. Things are getting expensive. Paying for things like housing, food, heating and childcare for when parents and carers go to work costs a lot. This can mean there isn't lots of money left over for everything else that children need.

What kinds of things cost families the most money?

The three main drivers/causes of poverty in Scotland are high household costs and insufficient income from employment and social security. These things are generally outwith families' control and can lock families into poverty.

Pupils sometimes say that it would help if families could save more money. You could reinforce that being able to save money is a great thing to do but it is very difficult for families that already do not have enough money to live comfortably. It can be very hard to save for emergencies or treats when all of the family income is spoken for.

Pupils also often say that getting a better job that pays more money would help. It can be useful to reinforce that this isn't always straightforward. Well paid jobs with enough hours are not always available and sometimes it's still not enough for families who then have to think about the cost of childcare. There are other things that can stand in the way of employment like where you live, disabilities, being a lone parent and other responsibilities such as caring for relatives.

You could ask your group: What kinds of things cost families the most money?

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Children's rights and poverty

Children's rights are promises that adults in places like schools and the government must keep to make sure that all children can grow up happy, healthy and included. You have 54 different rights.

Poverty and lack of money make it much more difficult for children to enjoy all their rights.

Getting rid of child poverty will help to make sure that children don't miss out on these rights.

Take a look at the Article 27 card. How might poverty affect this right?

Poverty has a detrimental impact on children's lives and on children's rights. You can explore the impact of poverty on children's rights with your group further using some of the Activities on our website.

You can ask your group to have a think about Article 27 and discuss:

"Why is it important to have a decent standard of living?"

"What would it mean if a child was growing up in poverty?"

"What sorts of things might be difficult to afford?"

"How might a young person feel?"

Pupils could explore things like having a warm home, being able to afford nutritious food that keeps them healthy, having warm clothes, being able to take part in fun things with friends, being able to take friends home, having internet to do homework or speak to friends etc.

Poverty has an effect on children's health, well-being and educational outcomes. If appropriate, you could explore some of these negative impacts with your group, talking about how not having enough money can mean:

some children don't get good healthy food that keeps them strong and well
some children don't always have a warm home which means they can get cold and unwell
families are worried which can make children and parents feel unhappy
affording what you need to take part at school is more difficult

More detail on poverty's effect on children's outcomes can be found here: https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/effects-poverty and https://tinyurl.com/abr9cfjj

Ultimately poverty makes it harder for children to have a good standard of living. This can have a knock-on effect to lots of other rights, including the right to good health and education. You can tell pupils that your group will be looking at ways to make sure things are easier for families and pupils in your school.

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What is the Cost of the School Day?

Some things in school can cost money. This can be difficult for everyone to afford. Cost of the School Day is a project that works to make sure no one misses out due to costs.

Lots of schools work hard to make sure that school is affordable, and that children and parents get all the help they need – your group can help this happen in your school!

Every child in Scotland should be able to take part and be happy at school, no matter how much money their family has. Nobody should miss out, feel bad or be unable to enjoy their right to education.

List what you need to come to school – what costs families money?

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What you and your group can do

In your group you'll have the chance to...

Help the whole school understand what child poverty is
Work with your classmates, teachers and parents to get their views on school costs
Come up with plans and ideas to make school more affordable
Make sure no one misses out at school due to money worries
Let the government know what would make school fair and affordable for everyone

Did you know Article 12 says that we should ask children what they think about important things that affect their lives? Your opinions and ideas can help make sure everybody is included at your school!

Why is it important to listen to what children and young people think?

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https://youtu.be/gZZiTbK5MoM?si=1AtHhnsJNF8AI6Qk

What young people say about the Cost of the School Day

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Let's get started!

We can all help to tackle child poverty

In your school, your group can make a big difference by helping make sure the school day is affordable and supportive of everyone.

Locally and nationally, your group can speak out about poverty and make sure politicians and people in charge are making good decisions that help children and young people.

It is not children's job to solve child poverty – that's for governments to do. But they can help to make sure that their school is poverty aware and as affordable as possible. Their voices and views are also really important when it comes to helping politicians make the right decisions, and there will be regular opportunities to do that in the Voice network. It takes everyone working at all levels to reduce the cost of the school day and work towards ending poverty.

In this slide are some picture examples from current Voice network schools showcasing how they are reducing costs at school and making things fairer for all pupils.

Left to right:

Newton Primary in South Ayrshire, pupils came along to the Scottish Parliament to ask politicians to give more children free school meals. In their school, they also thought up lots of fun and free activities at their Christmas fayre so nobody missed out if they didn't have money

St Pauls Primary in Glasgow have set up a pre-loved uniform bank

Two learners from Braes High School in Falkirk discussed school uniform with education leaders and politicians at a Scottish Parliament roundtable discussion

Musselburgh Burgh primary school in East Lothian have called their group the Burgh Believers - they have helped set up a breakfast club and have done lots of work finding out from parents what costs are difficult at school.

These are just some of the things that pupils are doing in their schools to make costs less of a worry for families. Good luck with all your ideas.