Abstract
This study examined the potential influence of policies and practices on the ability of children from low-income families to participate fully in the school day. Pupils from six schools participated in 71 focus groups and revealed a range of barriers affecting their school experience: transport costs and limited support; clothing costs, stigma and enforcement of school dress codes; material barriers to learning at school and home; concerns about free school meals; missing out on school trips, clubs and events. Findings on school uniform were an important catalyst towards a recent policy change in Scotland in increasing the school clothing grant.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 313-331 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Poverty and Social Justice |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 5 Sept 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- poverty
- attainment
- barriers
- children
- school experiences
- policies
- practices
- focus groups
