Back to School Event
Services coming together to ease the cost of the school day
Shetland Islands Council’s Community Learning and Development, Sport and Leisure, Youth and Employability, and Anchor for Families Teams organised a ‘Back to School Event’ at the Staney Hill Hall in Lerwick in August 2024. The event aimed to address the cost of the school day, drawing inspiration from a similar initiative in another local authority and training provided by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), which was attended by a local Community Involvement and Development Officer.
Various support services were available to help families prepare for the new school year. Workers from the Adult Learning team demonstrated healthy snack and packed lunch ideas, and assisted parents on how to use a new Parent Pay system for school lunches. Anchor for Families promoted their support services, while every person who attended received a SIC Children’s Services Support for Pupils leaflet detailing benefits available to families. The Youth and Employability team promoted the Young Scot card explaining how it can be used to access discounts or free services and introduced their new employability scheme for parents. Sport & Leisure Services’ Kit for All, which facilitates donation and collection of sports and outdoor wear to those who feel they need it, was present, along with books from Shetland Library and clothes from Shetland Aid. Tesco donated school socks, t-shirts, packed lunches and bottles and NHS Oral Health team donated resources on oral health and free toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The Back to School event followed on from Community Planning and Development’s summer pop-in events. Around 30 people attended, and everyone left with something, whether it was a t-shirt, school bag, or inspiration for making healthy lunches. The team felt that attendees were engaged, with questions about how to get involved in clubs and the activities promoted by Active Schools. There was positive feedback on the healthy snack and packed lunch ideas. One attendee commented that they were unsure if such events were ‘for them’, indicating a stigma or uncertainty around free events. Overall, the team felt that the event was successful and plan to promote it more widely next time.
Contribution to the Shetland Partnership
- Participation: Public agencies and community groups working together to improve outcomes.
- People: Supporting families with practical help and innovative solutions.
- Money: Helping households maximise income and reduce the cost of the school day.