Nearly 50,000 children in Scotland will be handed a free school bag to help cut the cost for families of children starting primary one.
As part of a new £2.7 million Scottish government initiative, the ‘Welcome to School’ backpack will be distributed to around 47,000 children in the next academic year (2027-28).
Building on the success of the Baby Box, alongside the School Clothing Grant, Best Start Grant School Age Payments, breakfast clubs and free school meals, the Welcome to School Bag will help ensure that no child’s start to school is determined by their family’s financial circumstances.
Edinburgh-based APS Group has secured a two-year contract worth £1.35 million annually to assemble and distribute the backpacks.
The backpack will come in a variety of colours and contain all the essentials pupils will need, including a pencil case, stationary including pens, pencils, coloured crayons and a notebook, a water bottle and “resources to encourage reading, writing and maths practice at home”.
The lightweight bags, made of durable, recycled materials, have multiple versatile compartments and pockets, reflective piping for safety, and space for name tags and a window in which children can place a drawing to personalise their school backpack.
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said the Government wanted to “ensure children start school on an equal footing”.
“Excellence and equity is my principal ambition for education, and providing every new P1 pupil with a high-quality bag is part of our wider work to remove barriers for all at the very start of their school journey,” she said.
“Building on the success of our universal Baby Box offer, we want to ensure children start school on an equal footing and with a feeling that they belong.
“As well as being available in five colours, children will have the option of adding a drawing to personalise their Welcome to School Bag, to help them start school excited and with all the essentials for their first steps into the classroom.
“These will be delivered in time to be given to children during their transition visits, when the new intake go into primary schools ahead of the summer holidays to get to know their new class.”
Every child starting P1 at their local school will be eligible for the Welcome to School Bag.