Kirkhill Primary School is a non-denominational school in Broxburn, West Lothian. The current roll of the school is 255 children across 12 classes. The majority of children reside in decile four of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data zones. However, the school has identified that there are families that are experiencing hidden poverty, with 47% of families in receipt of clothing grants and 31% of children eligible for free school meals. Attendance is below the national average, and the school is taking steps to improve this, including providing bespoke support to children and families, in collaboration with the local authority’s Interrupted Learner Service.

The improvement issue

Due to the rising cost of living, parents/carers were more frequently seeking support, advice and resources from school staff to assist them in managing increasing costs associated with the school day.

In addition, through the school’s wider experiences tracking system, senior leaders saw that some children were not attending experiences where there was a cost implication. They therefore wanted to identify ways in which they could remove any barriers to participation in order that all children could benefit from wider experience opportunities.

What Kirkhill Primary did

Senior leaders worked with staff to raise awareness of both hidden and visible costs for families. They have in place an Equity Improvement Plan and Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) plan. As part of these plans, the headteacher has employed a Family Engagement Lead. Their role is to work directly with families experiencing poverty and to help them to access opportunities and support.

To further strengthen capacity to support families experiencing poverty, senior leaders and staff have engaged in both the West Lothian Equity Network and the Cost of the School Day Network. Staff at all levels have also participated in professional learning and coaching offered by West Lothian’s Equity and PEF Team. Effective practice shared at the networks has positively influenced the school’s own approaches to reducing the cost of the school day. Engagement in these networks is helping school leaders to consider what can be replicated, adapted or abandoned in their school to best meet the needs of their own community. Senior leaders and staff also use the West Lothian PEF planning tool well to support them to plan targeted cost of the school day approaches and to regularly evaluate their impact.

Senior leaders have introduced regular data dialogue sessions with staff, which assist in identifying poverty-related gaps. As a result of these sessions, staff are acutely aware of the needs across the school and any gaps in attainment and progress. Learner attainment and participation are discussed during Excellence and Equity meetings with each class teacher. The four arenas of participation are used to support this discussion and this allows staff to identify any gaps in each child’s experiences and consider how they can support this. Staff also look at potential hidden and visible costs linked to participation in wider experiences and achievements.

To create a confidential route for parents/carers to seek advice and support, the school introduced an electronic form where parents/carers could submit a request for assistance. This form is shared through newsletters, group calls and is always available at family events. Once the form is completed, a member of staff will contact the parents/carers to discuss what support is required and from whom.

The Family Engagement Lead provides invaluable support for families. This includes supporting parents/carers in liaising with a range of services within the local authority, attending appointments and completing forms. The school has an open-door policy. This supports staff well to develop positive relationships with parents/carers and the wider community. This is helping families to access the range of opportunities and support offered by the school.

Senior leaders work closely with the Parent Council to minimise the financial burden for families during the year. Senior leaders in partnership with the Parent Council audited the different costs/expenses for parents/carers. For each cost, they have identified a way to either reduce or remove the cost completely.

In consultation with the Family Engagement Lead and the Parent Council, a family calendar of events is published. Children and staff lead these events which are used to share their learning in different curricular areas or to provide fun activities for families. There is no cost for these events and food and refreshments are provided. Successful events have included a ceilidh, a reading family picnic, and bitesize sessions with a literacy, numeracy and digital focus.

Senior leaders have written a cost of the school day statement in partnership with parents/carers, children and staff. The statement details a clear overview of the support that is available for the school community. Staff work with local services and organisations to provide a range of supports for families. These include a community food larder and winter clothing store. A particularly successful collaboration with Adult Learning Services has resulted in the ‘cooking on a budget’ course, which has been well received by parents/carers.

Children are offered the opportunity to attend a range of after school and lunchtime clubs, which are run by school staff and are free of charge. If there are any charges for an after-school club, families are offered financial support to enable participation. For example, the local football club donates free youth and holiday club places. Excursions and residentials are subsidised to provide all learners the opportunity to attend and have new experiences.

A successful Cost of the School Day pupil committee is in place. The committee explores the impact of poverty and identifies different ways in which the school can support families. This led to the opening of the Helping Hut in 2023. The Hut provides a food and clothing bank onsite for community members. The committee also organises special events to help reduce costs at key points in the school year. This includes a Christmas Clothing Shop, where the community donates used party outfits and Christmas jumpers that families can benefit from at no charge.

Members of the pupil committee participate in the Child Poverty Action Group and Cost of the School Day Voice Network. These networks increase children’s knowledge and understanding of poverty and empower them to contribute to reducing barriers to learning for children in their school.

What the sustained impact has been

There is increased, shared understanding across the school community in relation to equity and the poverty related challenges families may face. Staff have established highly effective approaches to promote equity for all and there is more focused planning and targeting of additional support to ensure equity for all.

Analysis and tracking of wider experiences, participation and opportunities for personal achievement is more consistent. This is allowing the school to identify gaps and provide bespoke support for children and families where there may be barriers to participation and engagement. This is helping to tackle equity of opportunity for learners. As a result of tracking gaps in participation, an increased number of children at risk of missing out are attending after-school and lunchtime clubs. The school provides any equipment, which would be a barrier to participation, such as a bike to support a pupil to attend cycle proficiency training.

Costs for all aspects of school life are now fully considered and financial support is provided from a range of partners, including the Parent Council. The cost of excursions, residentials, and in-school events, such as discos, is kept to a minimum. As a result, attendance at such events has increased in particular for families at risk of missing out.

Children lead approaches to reduce the cost of the school day. There is representation from every class on the Cost of the School Day Committee. This ensures that all views can be heard. The committee’s engagement with the Child Poverty Action Group’s BIG Question approach has deepened the children’s understanding of equity and enabled a clearer focus on reducing the Cost of the School Day.

The introduction of a family calendar and bitesize events continues to enable families to engage in the work of the school through curriculum information, social events and in building a sense of community. These events are all free of charge, with food and refreshments provided.

The adult learning sessions support parents/carers to understand general budgeting and cooking on a budget. Feedback from the sessions has been positive and participants report that they feel more confident and have a greater understanding of budgeting.

Children’s feedback from learner conversations highlights that they feel an increased sense of belonging to the school through wearing the new school uniform, which the school has provided with support from the West Lothian School Clothing Bank.