Actions that are being taken across Dundee to tackle the financial impact of the cost of the school day for families will be outlined on Monday (December 9).
Research by Child Poverty Action Group has helped schools to make changes that include:
- Cheaper uniform suppliers
- More inclusive homework policies
- Free ‘ready to learn’ packs
- Non –stigmatising approaches to fundraising
- Trip subsidies
- Improved promotion of financial entitlements
The children and families service committee will be told that pupils, parents and staff have attended sessions to help raise awareness of the issues and inform responses.
Dundee’s Cost of the School Day project was a key recommendation of the Dundee Fairness Commission in 2016.
Children and families service convener Councillor Stewart Hunter said: “In Dundee, we have been tackling poverty on a number of fronts and the Fairness Commission is a constant influence on the way the council goes about its business.
“We are all determined that children can make the most of their time at school and we are committed to doing all we can to tackle the financial barriers that may stand in their way.
“I would like to thanks the Cost of the School Day project for their ongoing work with us on these issues. Already, schools are looking at issues like school trips and uniforms and are coming up with imaginative solutions that are being shared around the city.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
