The Scottish Government's scheme to provide school bags and kit to P1 pupils at a cost of £28 per child has come under fire after a Sunday Mail investigation found comparable items available from online Chinese retailers for just £5.54.
The £1.35 million-a-year initiative, announced earlier this month, aims to give the kit to 47,000 children next August. The Welcome to School bags, available in five colours, feature multiple compartments and will contain a pencil case, water bottle, notepad, crayons and pencils.
Criticism of the scheme emerged after it was revealed the bags are being manufactured in China rather than by domestic businesses. The Sunday Mail's probe found that similar supplies could be bought online for a fraction of the cost, potentially saving taxpayers millions.
Cost breakdown and political reaction
The investigation found rucksacks costing just £1.57, water bottles for £1.02, six pencils for 86p, crayons for 98p, a notepad for 60p and a pencil case for 51p.
Scottish Labour education spokeswoman Katherine Sangster said: "Taxpayers will rightly be wondering whether their money is being spent wisely. Questions are to be answered about the Scottish Government's procurement processes and whether the approach they have chosen to take is the most cost effective."
"At a time when people are struggling with the cost of living, the government has a duty to ensure that taxpayers' money is spent responsibly."
Scottish Tory education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher said: "It beggars' belief that the SNP are prepared to squander this much on school bags when I bought a similar package from a well-known retailer for a fraction of the SNP's price."
Contract and spending details
Last week, the SNP government confirmed Edinburgh marketing firm APS Group (Scotland) had been awarded a two-year £2.7 million contract to supply the bags. It is assumed the contract costs also cover the storage, packing and assembly of the bags and distribution to schools.
The initiative was a pledge in the SNP's manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and follows the Baby Box scheme, introduced in 2017 when Nicola Sturgeon was first minister.
Based on an average P1 class size of 22 pupils, the new scheme represents spending of £616 per classroom. But using the £5.54 figure, the same supplies would cost just £121.88 for a class of 22.
Government response
The SNP giveaway comes despite claims of severe underfunding in schools. Figures obtained by the Sunday Mail previously showed some schools in the poorest parts of Scotland are being left with as little as 93p per pupil per week for basic classroom equipment. Six of the eight lowest-spending councils serve areas with the most deprived neighbourhoods, and half the highest-spending councils are in areas with the lowest levels of poverty.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "There is no better long-term investment than in the life chances of our youngest citizens. The Welcome to School Bag, which represents around 0.01% of the overall spend by Scottish and local government on education, sits among programmes helping to tackle child poverty head on, with the proportion of children in Scotland living in relative child poverty six percentage points lower than the UK average."
"The bags will include information on social security entitlement and keeping children safe online as well as practical items identified as being useful by parents, carers, headteachers and children made with high-quality, safety-tested, sustainable materials."
"Despite a challenging financial settlement, the 2026-27 Budget provides Scotland's councils with record funding of almost £15.7 billion. It is for councils to decide how that budget is allocated."
