Children in Scotland usually start primary school in the August term when they are aged between four-and-a-half and five-and-a-half years old. A child usually attends primary school for seven years before progressing to secondary school.

From age three (at an early learning and childcare setting), through primary school and until the end of S3, your child will receive a rounded education. This stage of Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland's 3-18 curriculum) is called the broad general education.

The broad general education is divided into five curriculum levels. Most children at primary school will be learning at the early, first or second level. However, this is a general guide: your child will progress at their own pace through the curriculum levels. The curriculum is designed to be flexible to permit careful planning for those with additional support needs, including those who have a learning difficulty and those who are particularly able or talented.

Outreach Education Scotland will work alongside current education providers to support and sustain learning throughout school closures and continue to support learners after school reopening ensuring that any education that his been missed will not affect longer term outcomes for your child.

Curriculum for Excellence has been designed to support parents, learners and teachers in decision making around the delivery and challenge each child needs to allow them grow within education. Benchmarks have been developed to provide clarity on the national standards expected within each curriculum area at each level. They set out clear lines of progression in literacy and English and numeracy and mathematics, and across all other curriculum areas.