Fundraising for “S1 Survival Kit” at the Edinburgh Kilt Walk

A message from Lindsay Law, Vice-Chair of  Broughton High School Parent Council

I’d like to share with you an exciting venture that pupils, parents, carers, teachers, and the community are embarking on in 2019.
We’d like to be the first ever pilot of an S1 Box for all pupils joining S1 at Broughton High School, Edinburgh in the summer of 2020. The ambition is to give each child, no matter their background or financial circumstances, the best possible start to their secondary school experience by providing them with the essentials they need for S1.
Why are we doing this?
Almost one in four (230,000) of Scotland’s children are officially recognised as living in poverty and in Edinburgh, the average is 22%. Broughton High School catchment has the widest diversity of young people in the whole of the City of Edinburgh but 43% of pupils live in poverty. This project is not just about alleviating the financial disadvantages of living in poverty, but it is about sending a message of hope and confidence to every young person starting in S1 that there is a group of people at their new school, welcoming them, and willing them to succeed.
We are going to have intermediate targets at each stage. The first one is for scientific calculators. Our current target of £1400 will allow us to purchase scientific calculators for all of the S1 cohort. These are a vital tool for mathematics at High School, but are not provided for in school budgets. In our focus groups young people told us that not having a scientific calculator of their own made them embarrassed and less likely to want to go to maths classes or take the subject further than the minimum requirement.
This has an impact on positive outcomes for young people. According to ParentZone Scotland: Being numerate helps us to function responsibly in everyday life and contribute effectively to society. It increases our opportunities within the world of work and establishes foundations which can be built upon through lifelong learning.

Lindsay has formed a team who will be raising money for the S1 Survival Kit at the Kilt Walk 2019. For more information on team “S1 Survival Kit” or to find out how to sponsor Lindsay, please click on the link:

https://edinburghkiltwalk2019.everydayhero.com/uk/the-s1-survival-kit