Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has written to the First Minister urging her to back bursaries for children who have been in care.

On Monday the Commission for widening access, which was convened by the First Minister in 2015, recommended that students who have been in care should have their student living cost loans replaced by a non-repayable bursary. The report also recommended that university applicants with a care background should be guaranteed a place at university.

In the letter Dugdale says: “We both say we are committed to cutting the gap between the richest and the rest in our classrooms and we will debate the strength of our respective plans in the coming weeks.

“The Scottish Parliament was established with consensual policy making in mind. We’ve worked together on education issues before. My party, during my time as Education spokesperson supported your government’s Children and Young People Act.

"Working together we vastly improved rights and services for looked after children through that bill. We can do so again one last time before dissolution.”

She continues: “This is an issue that should be above the cut and thrust of party politics.

“Before we pin on our rosettes, mount our soapboxes and deliver our leaflets I am asking that we find one more moment of common cause to remember this parliament. We will you join me in backing full grants for looked after children, so that no matter the makeup of the next Scottish Government, the background of these children is no barrier to their education?”

At First Ministers Question’s on Thursday, Scottish Labour MSP Iain Gray asked Nicola Sturgeon if she would back the proposals.

The First Minister said: “It is a good recommendation, and I will set out our response to it over the next few weeks of the election campaign. Actually, Iain Gray is not describing the recommendation as fully as he could have. It does not just talk about grants versus loans for students with care experience; It also says that where students with an experience of care meet minimum access requirements, they should be guaranteed a place at university.

“I think that those are sensible recommendations that can have an impact on our goal of making sure that there is equal access to university. We will consider them very carefully.”

The report concluded: “The Commission is conscious that the particular challenges faced by those with a care experience, both by their nature and magnitude, set this group of learners apart. Scotland must therefore be much bolder in its ambition for, and commitment to, those with care experience if we are to deliver fairness for this group of learners.

“We believe that an entitlement system should be introduced for care experienced learners, along with enhanced bursary and a more flexible package of student support.”

The offer for the parties to work together to help students with a care background has been welcomed by the charity Who Cares? Scotland.

Duncan Dunlop, the charity's chief executive said: “Across Scotland, we have care experienced young people with so much ambition and potential but no path to realise it. For thirty years, education has been one of the biggest issues that young people talk to us about. They tell us that being moved around numerous times also means moving school; that it’s hard to concentrate in class when your home life is unsettled; that the expectations of those around them are just that little bit lower. That’s why I'm welcoming this report and the bold plan it has set out.

"We've seen before what can happen when all parties in the Scottish Parliament put aside their differences and work together. The Children and Young People Act has delivered the biggest changes in a generation to the care system. The Education and Culture Committee noted in their annual report this week that listening to care experienced young people’s in evidence sessions was a highlight of this Parliament. We will do everything we can to make this happen again and ensure that every care experienced young person gets the chance to reach their potential."

The Scottish government however reiterated they shall consider the recommendations fully.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We recognise the particular challenges faced by those with a care experience in accessing higher education.

"That is why we explicitly asked the Commission to consider the needs of this group of learners as part of its remit.

"The First Minister made clear in Parliament today that she is receptive to these recommendations and will consider them carefully, and we will set out our response shortly."

The Commission on widening access delivered 34 recommendations to the Scottish Government.