John Swinney’s free school bags for P1 pupils have been criticised after a Sunday Mail investigation found teachers have just pennies to spend on essential classroom supplies. The Scottish Government announced a £2.7million scheme last week to provide bags – reported to cost £30 each – to all new pupils. The pledge comes despite the probe finding schools in the poorest areas are left with as little as 93p per child per week for basic equipment.
Criticism from opposition and teachers
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “The SNP could ask any teacher in Scotland what £2.7million could be better spent on and I guarantee they wouldn’t say free school bags. Schools are struggling to afford basic supplies, yet John Swinney is splashing millions on a gimmick that will do nothing to address the real problems facing pupils and teachers. Families deserve better than SNP photo opportunities while teachers are left counting the pennies for pencils and jotters.”
Based on an average P1 class of 22 pupils, the school bag scheme represents spending of about £660 per class. By comparison, the investigation found similar sized classes in some local authorities have just £20 a week to spend on essentials.
Andrea Bradley, the Educational Institute of Scotland general secretary, added: “Insufficient investment is a long-standing issue, with schools across Scotland frequently struggling for funding to supply essential resources for learning and teaching. It is clear that our education system need significantly greater additional investment.”
Funding disparities revealed
The government’s Welcome to School Bags scheme will benefit around 47,000 children starting P1 in August 2027. The hefty seven-figure price tag comes amid stark inequalities in school funding.
The investigation obtained figures through freedom of information requests to 29 of 32 councils and compared spending with the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, which ranks areas according to levels of deprivation. The findings revealed disparities across the country, with six of the eight lowest-spending councils among areas with the most deprived neighbourhoods. By contrast, half of the highest-spending councils were in areas with the lowest levels of poverty.
East Ayrshire had the least spent on weekly classroom supplies, at £1.12 per pupil, followed by West Dunbartonshire at £1.15 and Stirling at £1.17. When primary schools alone were considered, East Ayrshire’s spending fell to just 93p per pupil. Nearly a quarter of children in East Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire live in poverty. Stirling is generally more affluent but includes Raploch, one of Scotland’s most deprived neighbourhoods. Other councils spending £2 or less per pupil per week included East Dunbartonshire, at £1.19, Moray at £1.47, North and South Ayrshire at £1.71 each and South Lanarkshire at £2.
Scheme details and government response
At the other end of the scale, the Shetland Islands spent £44.80 per pupil – although the area has one of Scotland’s smallest school rolls, with about 3000 pupils. The national average was £9.32 per pupil per week. The bag scheme was a key pledge in the SNP’s manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Last week, the Scottish Government confirmed Edinburgh-based marketing firm APS Group (Scotland) had been awarded the contract, worth £1.35million a year, to supply the bags. The rucksacks will be available in five colours and feature multiple compartments and pockets. Each bag will contain a pencil case, water bottle and books. It follows the SNP’s Baby Box initiative, introduced in 2017 under then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Welcome to School Bag is just one of the policies designed to ensure children get the best possible start to their education and represents around 0.01 per cent of the overall spend by Scottish and local government on education. Alongside this, delivered in partnership with local authorities, we invest £31.731million on the School Clothing Grant, £130million on Pupil Equity Funding, £209.8million on free school meals, and £1billion on ELC, helping to reduce the financial barriers families face and support children’s participation. This complements the £1.75billion we have invested to support schools through the Scottish Attainment Challenge over the last decade. The 2026-27 Budget provides Scotland’s councils with record funding of almost £15.7billion. It is for councils to decide how that budget is allocated.”
