Mairi McAllan: Providing P1 children with free school bags will cost £2.7m

Free school bags offered to P1 pupils by the Government will cost £2.7 million over the next two years, ministers have said. Marketing firm APS Group has been handed the contract to assemble and distribute the Welcome to School Bags, which include essentials such as stationery and a water bottle. While APS has an office in Edinburgh, the Mail on Sunday reported that the backpacks themselves will be manufactured in China. Education Secretary Mairi 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.” The Government estimates about 47,000 pupils will start school across the country in the 2027-28 academic year.