ALMOST 50,000 Scottish children will be offered a free “Welcome to School Bag” next year – but “no one will be forced to take it”, Education Secretary Mairi McAllan has said.
Speaking to media after a visit to the Orbiston Community Hub in Bellshill on Monday, McAllan said that around 47,000 children starting P1 in 2027 would be offered the bags, which were a flagship policy of the SNP’s 2026 Holyrood election campaign.