When Do Children Start School In Europe?

Under new reforms announced by President Macron, French children will start school at the age of three instead of six from September 2019. However, this is only likely to affect a small share of children as most parents already send their children to school at three anyway. Macron said that the change should reduce inequality in education as poorer parents and families in overseas territories are not as likely to send their children to school at an early age.

How does France compare with other European countries? Across much of the continent, including Germany, Italy and Spain, six is the standard starting age. There are some exceptions, however, with children in Latvia and Sweden starting school at seven according to the European Commission.