Seminar to understand the impact of the costs of school on the poorest parents and consider how the Pupil Equity Fund might be used to effectively tackle inequalities and reduce the attainment gap.
This event, organised by What Works Scotland and the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, provided an opportunity to understand the impact of the costs of school on the poorest parents and reflect on how the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) might be used to effectively tackle inequalities and reduce the attainment gap.
Research shows that the charges that schools make to parents for uniforms, school trips, activities and learning materials have a negative impact on the poorest families.
The aim was to:
- share the learning from three reports into the cost of the school day
- reflect on how the Pupil Equity Fund has been spent and
- provide an opportunity to consider and discuss how the Fund might be used to effectively tackle inequalities and reduce the attainment gap.
The event was attended by teachers, headteachers and school staff; local authority staff with responsibility for education and /or equalities; and third sector organisations with an interest in child poverty.
Date: Friday 29 September 2017
Location: The Lasswade Centre, Bonnyrigg
Presentations
The event was chaired by Dr Sarah Morton from What Works Scotland and Centre for Relationship Family Research.
Councillor Jim Muirhead, Depute Council Leader, Midlothian Council, welcomed delegates to the event.
Presentation 1: Reducing the cost of the school day – children’s perspectives
Sara Spencer, Child Poverty Action Group Scotland, Cost of the School Day Project Manager.
Sara carried out the original Cost of the School Day action research in Glasgow in 2014/15. In her current national development role she is responsible for advisory support to local authorities and schools planning a Cost of the School Day approach, training for teachers, poverty proofing resource development and support to colleagues working on a local authority-wide Cost of the School Day project in Dundee.
- Introductory video to Reducing the cost of the school day – children’s perspectives on the University of Edinburgh website
- Reducing the cost of the school day – children’s perspectives presentation (PDF)
- See the Child Poverty Action Group’s Cost of the School Day webpage
- @CPAGScotland
- #costoftheschoolday
Presentation 2: Reducing the cost of the school day – schools’ perspectives
Patricia Santelices, Strategic Development Officer – Health and Wellbeing, City of Edinburgh Council
Pattie co-ordinates, develops and delivers a range of programmes and training to promote health and wellbeing in children, young people, parents and staff. These include 1 in 5 Child Poverty Work, Growing Confidence, Roots of Empathy, Building Resilience, Rights Respecting Schools, Turn Your Life Around and a range of parent and carer programmes. All the work is focused on inspiring pupils, staff and families of how they can make a difference to their own lives and those around them.
For more information email growingconfidence@edinburgh.gov.uk
Presentation 3: Reducing the cost of the school day – parents’ perspectives and PEF
Leaghann Watson, University of Edinburgh / St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Broomhouse, Edinburgh
Leaghann has recently completed an MSc in Social Research focusing on the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) and educational inequalities at the University of Edinburgh. She is currently a probationer teacher at St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Broomhouse, Edinburgh. Leaghann embarked on this research as a practitioner, researcher and as a person who faced poverty-related barriers throughout her educational career. Without interventions for inclusion, such as SWAP, Leaghann would not have had the opportunity to go to university.
