Thousands of Primary 1 pupils to receive free 'Welcome to School Bag'

Nearly 50,000 primary one pupils across Scotland will receive a ‘Welcome to School Bag’ next year as part of a new Scottish Government initiative.

The backpack, announced back in April during the Holyrood campaign by the First Minister, will be provided to around 47,000 children in Scotland at the start of the 2027-28 academic year.

It will contain a starter pack of “essential school items”, including stationery made up of pens, pencils and crayons, books, a water bottle, and “resources to help families encourage writing and maths practice at home”.

They will also have space for name tags and a window in which children can place a drawing to personalise their backpack.

The bag follows a similar principle to the Baby Box, which was introduced by Nicola Sturgeon in 2017, where every newborn baby receives a box of essential items, such as clothes, nappies and books

The bags will come in a variety of colours. SuppliediStock

Education secretary Màiri McAllan met the first children to receive the bag at Orbiston Community Hub in North Lanarkshire, where they worked on designs to personalise their bags.

McAllan said the new initiative will ensure that children starting school are not “determined by their family’s financial circumstances”

She said: “Every child and family should feel excited and ready for their first day of school, which is why the Scottish Government is offering Primary Ones their very own Welcome to School Bag, filled with things to help them learn.

“We worked with children, families and teachers to create the design and ensure it provides what a child needs as they take their first steps into school life.

“Building on the success of the Baby Box, alongside the School Clothing Grant, Best Start Grant School Age Payments, breakfast clubs and free school meals, the Welcome to School Bag will help ensure that no child’s start to school is determined by their family’s financial circumstances.”

Full details of the bag’s distribution are still be confirmed, with testing to take place this autumn with children, families, headteachers and P1 teachers.

“This is an essential component of our determined focus to eradicate child poverty, which is why we have prioritised work during the first 100 days of Government to ensure the first bags reach children by the time they start school next year”, McAllan added.