The Scottish Government could be set to raise the school starting age to six years old if the SNP follow the Scottish Greens in calling for the policy.
Such a move would bring Scotland closer in line with most European countries, but out of sync with the rest of the UK.
Children usually start school at the P1 stage at around the age of four or five years old.
However, a motion submitted to the SNP’s conference by its policy development convener, Toni Giugliano, could see this replaced by a kindergarten stage.
This would be a statutory play-based stage for three to six-year-olds, aligning Scotland with countries such as Ireland, Spain, and Germany, with formal schooling starting after this stage.
The SNP’s coalition partners, the Scottish Greens, have previously called for the school starting age to be raised to seven as part of their manifesto for the 2021 Holyrood election.
