Providing P1 children with free school bags will cost £2.7m, says McAllan

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.

The initiative was described as a “gimmick” by the Scottish Tories, who urged the Government to focus efforts on improving the education system.

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.

Scottish Tory education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher said: “The SNP’s latest education policy is a gimmick that is full of colour but totally lacking in substance.

“It was a desperate election stunt from John Swinney and his colleagues who are now happy to squander £1.35 million a year on giving backpacks to young people.

“This is taxpayers’ money that should be going towards tackling the attainment gap and restoring Scotland’s reputation for educational excellence.

“After nearly two decades in power, SNP ministers are still prioritising flashy giveaways over fixing Scotland’s broken education system.

“Parents don’t need colourful backpacks and political gimmicks. They need SNP ministers that focus on the real issues facing our pupils and delivers better results for their children.”

Scottish Lib Dem education spokesman Duncan Dunlop described the policy as “crass” and shows the Scottish Government “isn’t really engaged with the serious challenges facing our schools”.

He said: “Teachers are desperate for more support in classrooms, children want an end to rising disruption and parents are concerned that educational standards are dropping.

“The SNP solution to these serious problems are gimmicks and giveaways, to try and bolster support for independence.

“The winners here are an Edinburgh PR firm who have secured a handsome contract to deliver bags at a far higher cost than it would cost any parent to go out and buy these resources themselves.

“The Government need to get serious about long-term solutions for Scottish education like boosting the number of pupil support assistants and taking teachers off short-term or zero hours contracts. Anything less will mean children continue to be failed.”

Reform UK Scotland education spokeswoman Angela Ross added: “Schools across Scotland are cutting subjects because of a lack of specialist teachers and the SNP’s answer is a school bag in five different colours.

“Not only has the Government still not disclosed how much it will cost the taxpayer to manufacture their latest gimmick in China, but they are also willing to spend a further £1.35 million of taxpayer money a year to stuff pencils and a water bottle into backpacks and hand them out.

“It is unbelievable that they are citing the ‘success’ of the Baby Box programme – that now costs taxpayers nearly £8 million a year – as justification for taking more money from parents and doing stationery shopping for them.

“The education sector is screaming for reform and all the out-of-touch SNP government do is pump money into hare-brained schemes that prove they know nothing about running a country and balancing a budget.”

Scottish Green education spokeswoman Laura Moodie said the Government has to monitor the impact of the backpacks.

She said: “Investment that helps children start school with confidence and tackles poverty is always welcome. But ministers must show that this scheme is the most effective way to support families.

“A school bag may be useful, but it will not close the attainment gap or tackle the poverty that causes it. This risks becoming a colourful gimmick when far too many families are struggling to afford the essentials.

“If the Government wants to make the greatest difference, it should focus funding on evidence-led measures that put money directly into the pockets of families who need it most, including increasing the Scottish Child Payment and expanding free school meals.”

Scottish Labour education spokeswoman Katherine Sangster added that ministers must explain the value to taxpayers, with the scheme costing £30 per pupil.

“This adds up to £750 for a class of 25 pupils — money that could otherwise help fund much needed additional resources and support for children in the classroom,” she said.

“It is also disappointing that the bags are being manufactured in China when public money on this scale should be an opportunity to support Scottish businesses, protect local jobs and strengthen our domestic supply chains.”