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Introduction to the Voice network for Secondary Schools

These introduction slides to the Cost of the School Day Voice Network have been created to support group leaders to introduce the topics of child poverty in Scotland, learn what we mean by Cost of the School Day and why your pupil group has come together to look at these issues.

These slides will:

Provide a definition of child poverty

Give key facts and figures about poverty

Allow young people to hear directly from the First Minister for Scotland as he talks to young people about eradicating child poverty

Introduce the link between poverty and children's rights

Explain what Cost of the School Day is trying to achieve

Describe why it is important that your pupils help take action on the Cost of the School Day

There are potentially concepts and words in these slides that will be new to pupils but there will be lots of chances to revisit them and learn together as your group develops.

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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 resources to meet household needs and participate in society. It 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.

Families living in poverty can find it hard to afford everything they need which means some children can miss out on important life experiences.

What facts about poverty do you know?

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Key facts about child poverty in Scotland

Around 1 in 5 children (21%) in Scotland are growing up in poverty. That’s 210,000 children.

75% children living in poverty in Scotland are living in working households. This is called in-work poverty

Some families are at higher risk of poverty, for example 23% of children with a disabled family member in Scotland are in poverty

The Scottish Government has made commitments in The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 to reduce child poverty to under 10% by 2030.

Poverty can be found everywhere in Scotland. Some families are at higher risk of experiencing poverty, for example single parents or large families.

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What are the people in charge doing

You can do an internet search and check out the latest Local Child Poverty Action Report from your local authority

Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 is a law that requires the Scottish Government to take action to reduce child poverty and must report on progress

The Scottish Government publishes a Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan which sets out the actions they will take to reduce to poverty and support families.

There are 32 local authorities in Scotland, each local authority is expected to produce a Local Child Poverty Action Report each year setting out what has been done and future plans to tackle child poverty.

All of this is to make sure that everyone responsible for making decisions in both Government and local councils work together to tackle child poverty and makes reducing it a priority.

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https://youtu.be/Y_eAjQNjqX4?si=M1u-lY8Fb4PWni59

Voice network members interview the First Minister

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Why is there child poverty in Scotland?

Lots of young people 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 give parents and carers 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 other things 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 child care. 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

The UNCRC sets out 54 children's rights. These belong to all children in Scotland aged 18 and under. This includes rights to education, protection from harm, leisure and health.

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

Tackling child poverty helps to make sure that children and young people 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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Children's rights and poverty

"I think there should be more knowledge about what people are entitled to and how to receive this help."

Learner, East Ayrshire

Governments should make sure families on low incomes have enough money to help raise their children. At school there is help such as

Free school meals
School clothing grant
Education maintenance allowance

Did you know in Scotland in 2024 it was estimated that 25,000 pupils living in poverty were not eligible for Free School Meals?

If you think to back to slide 5 one of the main causes/drivers of poverty is insufficient income from social security. Benefits are not always enough to help families and their children have a good standard of living.

Some families might also be unaware of what they are entitled to. Article 26 of the UNCRC states that children should benefit from social security. Families on low incomes should be supported by the government to meet the needs of their children and help them grow.

As group leaders you are not expected to be an expert in welfare rights but you can help pupils to think about school related entitlements such as Free School Meals, the School Clothing Grant and the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Point of interest: Not all families on low incomes are eligible for free school meals for their children. This means they earn just a little bit too much to qualify but also means there are still thousands of children in Scotland living in families who are worried about affording food at school. You can read more on this report here https://tinyurl.com/tax4jahx

Possible discussion points include:

Do pupils know how much families can get for a school clothing grant? This will vary across local authorities, What is the amount in your area?

How do families find out about free school meals? Is there help to apply?

Does your school tell families about where they can go for help with benefits and entitlements? Is there more we can do to tell families what they are entitled to?

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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 pupils and parents get all the help they need – your group can help this happen in your school!

Every young person in Scotland should be able to take part fully in education, no matter how much money their family has. Nobody should feel excluded, feel bad or be unable to enjoy their right to education.

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

This slide provides an opportunity for your group to start thinking about all the things they need to take part at school. Pupils might mention uniform, PE kit, school trips, water bottles, paying for fun events, charity days, bringing items from home to take part in events, resources, food and snacks, equipment to take part in sport, outdoor clothes for residential activities, playing an instrument, going on subject based trips, having access to devices and internet for home learning.

As group leader you may already have an idea of things that happen in your school that helps families with these costs. This can be explored with your group throughout the year.

You can ask pupils: List what you need to come to school – what costs families money? and What does it mean if a pupil misses out on something at school?

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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 young people think?

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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 – 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:

Cost of the School Day pupil group ay Holyrood High in Glasgow worked to made sure everybody at school has all the resources they need to learn by introducing take what you need trollies. These are located throughout the school and in different departments with extra pens, pencils, calculators and snacks for anybody to take. They have also helped the Scottish Government to help come up with pupil friendly national uniform guidance that supports schools to make their uniforms more affordable for families.

The Voice group at Auchenharvie Academy in North Ayrshire have worked with their leader to set up a Prom swap shop where pupils can borrow from a variety of special occasion outfits. They have also helped set up QR codes that pupils can use to request support with pre-loved uniform.

Pupils at Ardrossan Academy attended a meeting at their local council to ask for changes in their canteen. Pupils highlighted the stigmatising impact of having pupils lunch balance displayed on the till screens for all peers to see. Pupils pointed out it made it really obvious who was on free school meals or didn’t have enough money in their lunch accounts. They felt this made attending the canteen at lunchtime off-putting. Balances will now no longer be front facing on the tills.

Pupils at St John Ogilvie's High School in South Lanarkshire have created a school wide campaign called School Shouldn’t Cost...advertising throughout the school all the ways they can support pupils with accessing resources from uniform to sanitary products

These are just some of the things that pupils are doing in their schools to make costs less of a worry for families.