Cost of the School Day Policy
Perth and Kinross Council · 27 May 2026
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 27 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 27 May 2026 Report Title: Cost of the School Day Policy Report Number: 26/140 Report Author: Rhona Munro, SAC and PEF Project Lead (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to set out the policy which Perth and Kinross Council schools should follow to ensure that all children and young people receive the same opportunities in their educational journey, regardless of their socio-economic background. 1.2 While ‘education’ may be free, school is so much more than acquiring knowledge. The Curriculum for Excellence makes clear that to develop the whole child and enable them to become Confident Individuals, Successful Learners, Effective Contributors and Responsible Citizens, schools need to offer a wide range of experiences and opportunities. 1.3 We acknowledge that there can be many aspects of the “school day” which place pressure on family budgets. This is across all sectors from early years through to secondary. 1.4 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Conclusion 6. Impact Value Assessment 7. Appendices
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2. Recommendation It is recommended that the committee: 2.1 Considers the contents of this report and comments as appropriate. 2.2 Approves the Cost of the School Day Policy (Appendix 1). 3. Background/Context 3.1 The Scottish Government publication Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2014-2017 states "Nearly a quarter of all children in Scotland (24%) are living in relative poverty". In Perth and Kinross, according to the most recent dataset, the estimates for the year 2023-2024 show that just under one in five children (5,155, 19.2%) is living in relative poverty after housing costs, compared to 21.7% in the previous year. There has also been a reduction for those living in relative poverty before housing costs from 14.5% to 13.3%, or one in eight children. As a national comparison, child poverty is reducing in Perth and Kinross at a faster rate compared to Scotland as a whole. 3.2 Child poverty is an issue for every school. Poverty can limit what children and young people can do and take part in at school. There are various costs associated with the school day including school uniform, trips and excursions, fun events, resources (pens, pencils, bags etc), lunch, and wider achievement activities. Being unable to meet these costs can affect children's participation, their learning, and their wellbeing. 3.3 The Scottish Government has identified six priority groups as being at a higher risk of poverty. These are: • Lone parents. • Young mothers (under 25 years old). • Minority ethnic families. • Large families (with three or more children). • Families with a baby (under one). • Families with a disabled adult or child. 3.4 The Child Poverty Action Group has published a range of resources that support schools, local authorities and partners to identify and address financial barriers to participation and learning. This includes a Cost of the School Day Toolkit - Scotland which helps teachers and school staff, children and young people and their parents and carers to become involved in discussing the barriers that the costs of the school day create and how to address them.
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3.5 A range of Scottish Government guidance was considered in the preparation of this Cost of the School Day Policy including School uniform and clothing: Guidance for schools and education authorities and Education – core curriculum charges removal: guidance. 3.6 A working group consisting of central officers from Education and Learning, schools and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings have created this policy document which supports schools to create their own Cost of the School Day Plan for their local context. This is included within their School Improvement Plan and identifies actions and mitigations to ensure that every child and young person in Perth and Kinross has the opportunity to achieve their full potential regardless of their socio-economic background. 4. Main Issues 4.1 All staff working in Perth and Kinross schools and ELC settings should have an awareness of the impact of poverty on children and families and the need to reduce or remove costs related to all aspects of the school day. Staff should be aware of the context of their own individual setting and how deprivation and poverty impact their local community. 4.2 The Education and Learning service expects all school staff to show empathy and compassion to any child or young person and their family where they are struggling with attendance, attainment, participation and/or engagement in education caused by, or exacerbated by, poverty. Poverty can be a barrier to learning for many children and young people, and therefore, should be seen and dealt with in a similar way to any other specific learning difficulty where there are clear interventions put in place to mitigate the impact of that difficulty. 4.3 Many families may hide the fact that they are impacted by poverty. Schools should not make assumptions about who is and who is not living in poverty as any family could potentially be affected at any time. 4.4 The Cost of the School Day Policy identifies a number of key areas that schools should consider as part of their planning, including some case study examples: • Getting dressed. • Travelling. • Learning. • Challenging Poverty. • Eating. • Fun Events. • School Clubs. • Learning at Home.
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The Policy also cites an overall vision and identifies good practice in addition to providing a range of resources for support and guidance. 5. Conclusion 5.1 Through the publication of this policy, and inclusion of Cost of the School Day Planning as part of the quality improvement process, all schools and ELC settings in Perth and Kinross will have a regularly reviewed Cost of the School Day Plan. 5.2 By doing this, we will work to remove as many cost-related barriers to engagement and participation in learning and education as we can. Through doing this, we hope to succeed in our mission to not only close the poverty-related attainment gap but also provide the best possible experience for children and young people in Perth and Kinross. 6. Impact and Value Assessment 6.1 The Impact and Value Assessment (IVA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed on the Perth and Kinross Council website via the link: Cost of the School Day Policy 6.2 The Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EFIA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed in the Equality and Fairness Impact Assessments area of the Perth and Kinross Council website. 7. Appendices 7.1 Appendix 1 – Cost of the School Day Policy