Sefton schools cut hidden costs for pupils

Twenty-five Sefton schools have now completed Poverty Proofing the School Day training, with changes aimed at making uniforms, trips and everyday school activities less financially stressful for families.

The programme has gathered views from more than 1,200 pupils, parents, carers and staff, while over 130 school staff have received training on how poverty can affect a child’s school day. The figures do not prove that every cost barrier has been removed, but they show a wider shift in how schools are identifying pressure points that may otherwise go unnoticed.

25 schools are reviewing the costs families face

The work is focused on the small, repeated costs that can make school harder for children from lower-income households. These can include uniform expectations, trip payments, extra activity costs and the way families are asked to seek support.

Schools taking part have introduced more flexible uniform options and are looking at how children can access trips and activities without being marked out as different. Some are also helping parents plan earlier for known costs across the school year, rather than leaving families to deal with bills at short notice.

That matters because financial pressure in school is not always visible. A pupil may avoid a trip, feel anxious about a non-uniform day, or worry about asking for help. The programme’s central aim is that no part of the school day should make a child feel different because of their family’s income.

Similar school-cost pressures have been seen elsewhere, including efforts to support families through donated sports clothing in schools facing poverty-related kit costs.

What this means locally

• Twenty-five Sefton schools have completed the training so far.
• More than 1,200 people have shared experiences to shape school changes.
• Over 130 staff have been trained to better understand child and family poverty.
• Schools are reviewing uniforms, trips, activities and routes for asking for help.
• The programme is expected to expand into more schools and Early Years settings.

Uniforms, trips and support routes are being changed

The source material highlights practical changes rather than a single large funding announcement. That includes flexible uniform approaches, better access to trips and activities, and clearer ways for families to ask for support without stigma.

At Our Lady of Walsingham Primary, headteacher Collette Simms said the training helped staff look again at barriers faced by families, including working families on minimum wage. She described how the school used the training to focus on key areas, broaden staff awareness and continue planning costs across the school year.

Adrianne Lambert, Parent Support Adviser at the same school, said the training had prompted staff to ask how they could help individual families more effectively. She described the work as the start of wider support for parents and children.

Training shifted staff understanding of poverty

According to Sefton Council, 96% of school staff who attended the first round of training last year rated their understanding of child and family poverty as “Good to Very Good” afterwards. Before the training, that figure was 30%.

More than 90% of attendees said they were more likely to make changes to their practice as a result of the training, and all attendees said they would recommend it to a colleague or friend.

Those results are based on training feedback, so they should be read as evidence of staff learning and intention rather than a full long-term measure of outcomes for pupils. The next test will be whether schools keep changing policies and whether families feel those changes in daily school life.

Poverty Proofing the School Day comes from Children North East

Poverty Proofing the School Day was developed by Children North East, a charity based in Newcastle. The programme works with schools, pupils and families to identify where the cost of education creates barriers to participation or belonging.

In Sefton, the programme is being used as a local tool for schools to examine ordinary routines. That includes how activities are promoted, how payment deadlines are set, whether uniform rules create unnecessary expense, and whether support is easy to access.

Cllr Diane Roscoe, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said the training was helping schools review what they already do and how they can do more for families dealing with poverty.

Early Years settings are next in line

Plans are now in place to extend the programme to more schools and into Early Years settings. The council says that should allow support to reach families earlier, before cost pressures become established across a child’s school life.

Training will continue, and schools are expected to keep working with their communities on further improvements. Cllr Joanne Williams, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said the work is intended to remove more barriers and make school fair for every child.

Source: Sefton Council