Greens will raise school starting age and set up new 3-6 kindergarten stage
The Scottish Greens would raise the school starting age to seven and introduce a play-based kindergarten stage for three-to-six-year-olds, led by qualified kindergarten teachers.
The party’s manifesto will commit to a kindergarten model based on the world-leading Finnish education system. It will ensure that young children have a successful and enjoyable first experience of education, avoiding the negative attitudes to learning which often develop when they are pushed into formal education environments before they are ready.
This approach, which would see learning undertaken through ‘creative play’ rather than ‘formal learning’, would improve children’s wellbeing and educational outcomes later in their school career.
Scotland is an outlier compared to most other developed nations when it comes to school starting ages, with children as young as four and a half starting formal primary school here.
Education and child wellbeing outcomes are far higher in Finland than Scotland. This has in part been credited to their kindergarten system and a primary school starting age of seven.
Alongside ending homework in primary schools and replacing Scotland’s outdated Victorian-era exam system, the Scottish Greens’ kindergarten plans would make for a bold reform of Scotland’s education system.
Party co-leader Gillian Mackay said:
“Learning doesn’t just happen behind a desk. In fact, that's the worst place for young children to be. Play-based learning is far better for them and for their education. That is why the Scottish Greens would establish a kindergarten stage for three to six year olds and raise the primary school starting age to seven.
“Scotland is an international outlier in how early we make our children start school, with some beginning as young as four and a half. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming that play-based learning in a kindergarten is far better at that age.
“The best performing education systems in Europe take a different approach to Scotland. They allow young children to explore the world around them with a focus on social skills, learning outdoors, play, and emotional development. The result is happier, healthier children who have a far more positive attitude to learning throughout the rest of their time at school.
“We can learn from successful countries like Finland, who recognise that it’s not natural for young children to be sitting at desks or learning in formal settings. Teachers across Scotland know this already and have been trying to adapt early primary school to meet this reality, but only a full system change will do.
“Play-based learning in a kindergarten is great for the health and wellbeing of children. It sets them up well for making the transition to a more formal school setting when they are a bit older. That’s why the Scottish Greens will deliver a kindergarten stage modelled on our most successful European neighbours.”
