Government under fire over £2.7m school bag contract for Edinburgh marketing agency
Lib Dems hit out at £2.7m 'gimmick' school bag contract for Capital business
An Edinburgh marketing firm has been branded the real “winners” of a £2.7 million Scottish Government scheme to provide free school bags to primary one pupils, as opposition politicians hit out at the “crass” giveaway.
Capital-based APS Group has been awarded the contract to assemble and distribute the ‘Welcome to School Bags’ over the next two years.
However, despite the lucrative contract going to the firm’s Edinburgh office, it has been reported by the Mail on Sunday that the backpacks themselves will be manufactured in China.
The bags, which include classroom essentials such as stationery and a water bottle, will be handed to an estimated 47,000 children starting school across the country in the 2027-28 academic year.
Opposition parties have sharply criticised the initiative, with the Scottish Liberal Democrats taking direct aim at the cost of the contract awarded to the city business.
Scottish Lib Dem education spokesman Duncan Dunlop described the policy as a “crass” giveaway and claimed it showed ministers are failing to engage with the “serious challenges” facing the education sector.
He said: “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.
“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 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.”
The Scottish Conservatives echoed the criticism, urging ministers to focus taxpayer funds on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap instead of a policy they labelled a “desperate election stunt” by John Swinney’s administration.
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.”
However, Education Secretary Mairi McAllan defended the scheme, insisting it was designed to build on the success of Scotland’s universal Baby Box.
She said: “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.
“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.”
Ms McAllan added that the bags will be available in five colours and children will have the option of adding a drawing to personalise them. They will be delivered in time for primary school transition visits ahead of the summer holidays.
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.”