Education Scotland’s
EARLY YEARS
MATTERS
MAKING SCOTLAND THE BEST PLACE TO GROW UP
Progressing the Expansion of
Early Learning and Childcare
Colleagues in Clackmannanshire, Midlothian
and Renfrewshire talk about how their
approach is making it work for children
and families.
PLUS
- Childminding in Scottish Borders
- Family Learning With Imprisoned Dads
- Introducing Education Scotland’s Children
and Families Team
- Building the Ambition
ISSUE 8 / SPRING 2015
WELCOME
Contents
14
Welcome
Welcome to the latest edition of
Early Years Matters magazine
A few words from Lesley Brown,
Strategic Director (Families,
Inclusion and Local Authorities)
02 Welcome
Welcome and introduction from
Strategic Director, Lesley Brown.
03 Introducing
Education Scotland’s Children and Families Team.
04Growing a Bigger Community of
Learners
Welcoming two-year-olds into
Banchory Primary School, Nursery
Class.
06Making Childminding Work in
Scottish Borders
Working together with SCMA to
support families in rural communities.
08What a Difference a Full Day Makes
Staff of Hugh Smiley PreFive Centre
make the most of full day placements.
10First Steps with Two-Year-Olds
Two ELCC in Midlothian settings talk
about the growth of their partnership
approach.
12Building the Ambition
Update on training to date.
14Remembering Children of
Imprisoned Dads
Early Years Scotland and the Scottish
Prison Service work together to make
a difference to often forgotten children
and families.
16Updates
News items from Education Scotland
and National Partners.
Throughout the magazine the
term ‘parents’ has been used to
mean mothers, fathers, carers,
and others with responsibility for
caring for a child or young person.
2 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
I am really pleased to have the
opportunity of introducing Early
Years Matters and also to introduce
myself to you as the Strategic
Director for Families, Inclusion and
Local Authorities. Together with
colleagues in the Children and
Families Team, my work is to drive
forward all of the exciting and
emerging changes in Early Learning
and Childcare. Given what we all
know about the importance of early
intervention, it is no surprise that
delivering positive outcomes for
young children and families is core
to the Government’s Programme
for Scotland 2014/15, seeing this
as a principal means of tackling
inequality and poverty in our country.
Without doubt, the recent change
to legislation places continuing
importance on Early Learning and
Childcare and this is to be welcomed
by all of us with a role in the delivery
of services to children and families.
Education Scotland is committed
to continuing to work with you to
support you in your duties within
the legislation and also to develop
innovative and creative approaches
that focus on improving outcomes for
children and their families.
There are many examples of highly
effective early years practice;
indeed, we see this daily in our work.
To your credit, the expansion of
entitlement has been implemented
Read our Practice Sharing articles
http://bit.ly/earlypracshare
Visit the Journey to Excellence website
www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk
across the country at pace. We know
that even more two-year-olds will
become entitled to Early Learning
and Childcare later this year. Whilst
we know this is a challenge, we
need to make sure we use this time
to best effect to bring about real
improvement and to make a real
difference to children.
That is why we have dedicated this
edition of Early Years Matters to
exploring some of the impact of
the changes being delivered by
colleagues across the country. The
case studies provide examples
of some interesting practice and
present colleagues’ reflections of
how their practice may change
and develop further.
My colleagues who are supporting
the roll-out of Building the Ambition
training are travelling the length and
breadth of Scotland and, without
exception, have encountered
practitioners who are dedicated,
enthusiastic and forward-looking. It is
therefore no surprise that I am filled
with huge optimism about the future
of Early Learning and Childcare.
I hope that you enjoy reading this
edition of Early Years Matters.
Lesley Brown
Strategic Director
(Families, Inclusion and
Local Authorities)
EDUCATION SCOTLAND
Introducing
Education Scotland’s
Children and Families
Team
Who are we and what do we do?
We all know that parents and families have a key role to
play in supporting the success and wellbeing of their
children. The role of the children and families team in
Education Scotland is to provide high-quality leadership
to enable families to learn together and support children
and young people’s learning and development, and to
improve outcomes across Early Learning.
To do this, we offer advice, support, and challenge to
internal and external colleagues in relation to working
with children, parents and families. We take a proactive
approach to influencing national policy, contribute to
the fulfilment of statutory duties and provide public
accountability and assurance.
A key measure of our success is through the level of
effective engagement with Early Learning and Childcare
Practitioners at all levels. Over the coming weeks and
months we will work with practitioners through face-toface activity but also through our Glow Community.
So what can you expect from us?
Influencing national policy and informing
implementation
We work collaboratively to have a positive influence
on national and local policy, contribute to the fulfilment
of statutory duties, and support policy and practice
implementation. We do this through engagement with
stakeholders; providing timely, high quality, professional
advice; building and sharing a robust Scottish evidence
base through inspection and other evidence gathering
activity; and gathering, analysing and sharing UK and
international research and highly effective practice.
Professional learning and capacity building
We support and lead on professional learning and
capacity building for improving outcomes for children
and families and encourage staff and volunteers to
engage in relevant career long professional learning. We
use a range of support and improvement approaches
to meet the needs stakeholders and work with relevant
partner organisations to continue to make the most of all
of our resources.
World-class curriculum for early learning and families
Independent evaluation of the quality of early learning
and childcare provision across Scotland remains a
key feature of our work. This provides reassurance
to stakeholders that quality and improvement are at
the heart of what we do. To do this, we work with our
partners to build capacity and support improvement
in early learning and childcare settings through
inspection activity.
Within Education Scotland, our team works with
colleagues to build a 0-18 approach to curriculum
planning and delivery. In recognition of the continuing
importance of effective continuity and progression in
children’s learning, we are proactive in the sharing of
effective practice across all sectors.
In considering effective approaches to the engagement
of families and to support improvements in family
learning, we work with colleagues across all sectors.
Working with others to enable effective parental
engagement and involvement
We work with colleagues across organisations and
agencies to support parents in developing their own
skills, knowledge and learning, and in supporting
their children. We aim to take a proactive approach
to encouraging and enabling colleagues to develop
strategies to work with parents in relation to learning.
Using Parentzone Scotland as our main hub for
information for parents, we will publish and promote
appropriate materials to support the continuing and
effective engagement of parents and families throughout
their child’s education.
Follow us on Twitter @CaFTeam and
#TalkELCC
join our Glow Community
http://bit.ly/earlylearn for resources,
training materials and ideas for
improvement.
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: CLACKMANNANSHIRE
Growing a
Bigger
Community
of Learners
Banchory Primary
School – Nursery Class,
Clackmannanshire
We are proud to say that
our nursery class was
the first nursery class in
Clackmannanshire to open
its doors to two-year-olds.
In many ways, we were an
obvious choice.
For some time now, we have been very aware of
the need to make sure that children and families
identify with our school from the earliest days, even
before they are given a place at our setting. Having
the nursery in our school means that we can help
establish with children and families patterns of
regular attendance and effective family engagement.
So we grabbed with both hands the offer of having
even younger children, and their families, join our
school. We looked upon it as a chance to grow a
bigger community around the school and for more
children and families to feel at home at Banchory.
We are in no doubt that the addition of two-year-olds
to our setting has been a positive change. We have
found that children are benefiting from the interactions
that they are having with older and younger peers.
The addition of two-year-olds has energised all of us.
Our new team members have really challenged what
we do and how we do it. We feel that this change has
really put Banchory on the map with people from the
4 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
Allison Littlejohns, the school’s Acting Head Teacher,
talks about the benefits she has found to the whole
community of the school in having two-year-olds join
the school’s nursery class.
local community talking about how we are supporting
children and families. Over and above the impact we
are having on outcomes for children it is also really
pleasing to know that we are making a contribution
to the community at large.
The School adopted these principles when
preparing for the addition of two-year-olds
into the nursery class:
• All children and families are regarded
as Banchory children and families,
regardless of whether they would go to
a different nursery or school at a future
date.
• All children, regardless of their age and
stage of development, will have access to
the fullest range of experiences that we
have to offer.
• There are no areas of the nursery ‘offlimits’ to any group of children on account
of their age or stage of development.
• Our team members are skilled people
who are able to meet the needs of all of
the children in our care, therefore we do
not have staff who work with two-yearolds and those that do not.
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: CLACKMANNANSHIRE
Sharon McGregor, Senior Early Years Worker,
talks about the impact on her practice and that
of her colleagues of having children aged two
to five years in the nursery class.
Having worked with younger children earlier in my
career, I have seen for myself the many benefits
of engaging with children and their family from the
earliest opportunity.
Our setting has long since been regarded as a
strength of the school, so we were starting from a
position of confidence to welcome two-year-olds. We
did not want to be complacent and we knew that our
environment would need to be altered. One of our
decisions early on was that we did not want to split up
the nursery into separate areas for older and younger
children, despite having enough space to do so. Most
of our previous experience had with two-year-olds in
playrooms separate from those of older children. We
certainly felt like this was a good time to challenge
some of those traditions.
We are monitoring very closely the impact of the
changes that we have made, so we are taking the
time to observe children very closely during play.
We are interested in knowing how involved they are
in the learning experiences we offer. The team talks
constantly about what we have seen and what does
this mean. We paid particular attention to the story
area and our outdoor space, making them suitable
for children of all ages and stages.
It is important to us to have a vibrant community of
two-years-olds. We have been proactive in promoting
the fact that we now make provision for them and
have found our Health Visitor colleagues and partners
from the local third sector group to be most helpful
and supportive in helping spread the word. It has
been the parents themselves who have been the
most able recruiters of other parents. The strong
community networks around our school mean that
good news travels quickly.
We had been ‘twinned’ with Wellgreen Nursery,
where a great deal of work had been undertaken
to create a free-flow learning environment for two
to five-year-olds. Through working with colleagues
from Wellgreen, we had a renewed confidence to be
guided by children and to plan for their capabilities.
As well as that, we were confident that we knew our
children well. Our returning children had developed
many skills that would enable them to act as very
capable role models for younger children, even
acting as leaders or more experienced peers.
The benefits to having two-year-olds as part of our
nursery are many and varied. In particular, I have
watched the nursery team grow their skills and
knowledge as they have watched and learned from
the children. We have not been afraid to ask
questions or seek advice and, for me, that is the sign
of reflective practitioners who are true professionals.
We understood the importance of creating flexible
learning environments so that we could more readily
meet children’s needs, so we asked for the installation
of a moveable partition between the playrooms.
That way, if we needed to, we could easily create
an alternative space for children should that be
best to meet their needs.
To find out more about the open plan learning environment at Wellgreen Nursery and practice from other
Early Learning and Childcare settings across Scotland, visit the Sharing Practice page of Education
Scotland’s Early Years website: http://bit.ly/earlypracshare
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: SCOTTISH BORDERS
Making Childminding
Work in Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders Council is committed to securing childminders
as part of its overall strategy for the delivery of Early Learning
and Childcare. As of December 2014, some 57 childminders in the
Scottish Borders have opted into the scheme of being potential
partners, with approximately one third of placed two-year-olds
choosing to attend a childminding setting.
Scottish Borders Council has for
a number of years worked closely
with the Scottish Childminding
Association (SCMA) in promoting
high-quality childminding services
to parents and families. In an area
with the challenges of rurality it
seemed fitting that childminding
would remain an important part of
the approach in the Scottish Borders
to the implementation of 600 hours
of Early Learning and Childcare.
Scottish Borders Council’s Early
Years Manager, Janice Chapman
explained:
A childminder can offer hours to
fit in with parents’ working patterns,
and also the option of spreading
the 600 hours over a whole year,
rather than term time only, if that
is what is required.
“SCMA had approached Scottish
Borders Council with a proposal
to use childminders to deliver
the statutory Early Learning and
Childcare to the newly entitled
two-year-olds. There was a need
for spaces for two-year-olds in rural
areas and using childminders
would increase flexibility and
choice for parents.”
Carrianne Ferguson, who runs
Little Sprouts Childminding
Service in Chirnside, seizes the
opportunity to be involved in
the delivery of Early Learning
and Childcare in the Scottish
Borders.
As a core member of the
Council’s Strategic Group on Early
Learning and Childcare, SCMA’s
Childminding Development Officer,
Raquel Lloyd-Jones, assisted the
Council in closely examining issues
relating to the expansion of Early
Learning and Childcare within the
Scottish Borders. She was keen to
highlight to colleagues the role that
childminders could play:
6 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
Given the challenges of offering
flexible services, particularly for
children and families who live in the
rural communities of the Scottish
Borders, childminders would have
a key role to play in supporting the
local authority to meet its obligations
to families.
“As soon as I heard about
the opportunity for registered
childminders to work in partnership
with the local authority to deliver
Early Learning and Childcare to twoyear-olds I was keen to be involved.
I have many years experience both
as an Early Learning and Childcare
Practitioner and as a childminder
and I am pleased that childminding
is being recognised as an equal
partner in this new world we are
all entering. All children’s needs
are different and there is a place
for all types of Early Learning and
Childcare – the crucial thing is
quality.
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: SCOTTISH BORDERS
“The young children I care for benefit
from the lower ratios we have as
childminders, and they also enjoy
being in a home environment.
Although our home is our base,
we are also out and about a lot
– we attend toddler groups for
example, and also spend a lot of
time outdoors, so there is plenty
of opportunity for the children to
socialise and also feel part of the
community, learning about the world
around them.
“The important thing is that parents
are getting the choice – they can
pick the setting they feel will best
meet the needs of their child at
a particular time – and that is so
valuable for families.
“Such is the level of interest in
childminding within the Scottish
Borders, a small test of change is
currently running to consider how
childminders might become involved
in the delivery of the 600 hours of
Early Learning and Childcare to
three and four-year-olds.”
The Council had been approached
by parents asking that the
childminder they were using
be considered to deliver their
entitlement to 600 hours. Janice
Chapman said:
“We agreed with SCMA to run a
pilot with two families for the current
academic year starting August 2014
and as part of the enrolment for
2015/16 we have just agreed to allow
the pilot to run for another year.”
Both Scottish Borders and SCMA
are monitoring closely the impact of
this pilot. The test of change will be
formally evaluated at the end of the
academic year before deciding as to
whether wider rollout is possible.
Gwen Richardson, whose daughter
Demi receives her entitlement from
Carrieanne, feels that childminders
are core to the successful
implementation of Early Learning
and Childcare in Scottish Borders.
Gwen believes that without the
inclusion of childminders as partner
providers in the Scottish Borders,
many families would be unable
to access the 600 hours for their
children:
There is no nursery in
Chirnside that takes, two-yearolds – our nearest would be
around six miles away. For
families who don’t drive or have a car, that would mean
their children just would not be
able to go, so for us the offer of the option of a childminder
was really important.
Anne Condie, SCMA’s Head of
Childminding Services said:
“We are looking closely at what is
happening in the Scottish Borders
and we are keen to keep developing
ways for childminders to contribute
to the delivery of Early Learning and
Childcare so that more children and
families receive flexible services
to meet their needs given that the
childminding setting and low ratios
are particularly suitable for very
young child.”
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: RENFREWSHIRE
What a
Difference
a Full Day
Makes
Hugh Smiley PreFive Centre
in Renfrewshire has adopted
a flexible approach to the
implementation of the
additional hours of Early
Learning and Childcare.
Shirley Allan, Head of Centre,
has welcomed all of the
opportunities the additional
hours, or in some cases, new
hours, have provided.
Hugh Smiley PreFive Centre has
always tried to support parents who
want to enter the workforce by
helping them undertake a college
course or to sustain work. The
understanding that a sessional
placement for children did not
always enable their parents to
consider training or employment
prompted the Shirley to propose
using the additional hours to offer
parents a more flexible
arrangement.
Consultation with staff was positive.
Discussions about managing
planning for learning, profiling
children’s progress and selfevaluation were very important for
staff. They needed to ensure they
retained time for reflection each
day and therefore, created
a solution for this themselves.
8 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
Parents were involved in the
consultation too. They were
requested to complete a ‘Just Ask’
questionnaire, which asked them
to consider their preference as to
how the additional hours could
look. Staff were on hand to support
parents throughout the process,
ensuring that they had all the
information they needed to be
able to make an informed
response. A number of parents
took the opportunity to discuss
their thoughts with staff. After the
consultation period, it was decided
that the 600 hours of Early
Learning and Childcare should be
offered through a flexible approach.
All the requests that had been
made by parents in the ‘Just Ask’
questionnaire were granted.
The offer of a full day placement
rather than morning or afternoon
session was very much welcomed
by parents.
Benefit of additional hours
on children and parents
Staff are very enthusiastic about
the impact of the changes on
children. They have seen that
children are responding well to
the extra time to play and the
consistency of routine. Outings
take place at a more relaxed pace
and children have more time to
interact with their local environment,
including the museum and library.
Longer time outdoors is enabling
children to investigate, explore and
share their learning with others.
Indoors time spent in the art studio
is being maximised to enable all
children to improve their skills more
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: RENFREWSHIRE
Together the staff
team are reflective
and supportive of
each other. Their
approaches to
evaluating their own
work have become
more focused. The
levels and extent of
professional learning
amongst the staff is
commendable.
effectively over time. The
photograph below shows an
example of children’s artwork.
Mealtimes take place in the
attractive café which is decorated
to represent a room at home.
Children love it and use it is an
opportunity for extended
conversation with their friends.
They serve their own food and use
cutlery with ease. Staff and parents
have noted that children’s eating
habits have improved greatly
through the introduction of new
foods to their diet. For younger
children, the range and amount of
food consumed has improved as
staff have the time and opportunity
to persevere in introducing children
to new tastes.
Parents can get out
now and see different
opportunities for
themselves. Our
partnership with them
is even better and
we consult with them
about their child all the
time.
Mary, Room Lead,
three to five playroom
Staff recognise that children are
gaining in confidence. Early
language skills are being enhanced
through the time to introduce new
vocabulary and by encouraging
children to use it in context.
Children value time with staff to
practise and display early writing
and number skills.
Parents welcome the additional
time for a number of reasons,
including the opportunity to take
up employment and college.
One parent reported that this has
changed her life as her son now
has a full-time place and she has
been able to complete a beauty
course on nails. She has since
offered to do other parents’ nails
at no cost as a way of giving
something back to the setting.
This parent praised all nursery
staff as being approachable and
commented that Hugh Smiley
Letter to Parents,
Education Scotland,
January 2015
has made a difference to her
child, her family and herself.
Staff say that they have found many
positives since the introduction of
flexibility around the 600 hours.
They feel their relationships with
children are stronger because they
can observe and respond to them
in many different contexts. Time for
observation and review is carefully
managed and is yielding richer
information about children’s
wellbeing and involvement in play.
Staff agree that the introduction of
additional hours and the way these
are being used flexibly by parents
at Hugh Smiley is a win-win for all.
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: MIDLOTHIAN
First
Steps
Koala
Chef
with TwoYear-Olds
Delivering Early Learning and
Childcare in Midlothian through
effective partnership.
Midlothian Council embraces the opportunity to provide Early Learning and
Childcare to eligible two-year-olds through securing effective partnerships
with a range of local Early Learning and Childcare providers, including the
voluntary organisation, Midlothian Sure Start.
The Stepping Forward Centre in
Penicuik works in partnership with
Midlothian Council delivering and
promoting Early Learning and
Childcare to local families.
Denise Dunn and her son Junior
were among the first to take up
the entitlement to Early Learning
and Childcare at the Stepping
Forward Centre.
Junior is absolutely loving
being here, the staff took
time to settle him into the
playroom, getting to know
what he liked and how
his routines are important
to us both. I needed to
feel confident that he was
happy and settled before
I started to apply for jobs.
I have had two interviews
and now I have been
offered a part-time job as
a receptionist.
10 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
Staff at the Stepping Forward
Centre are no strangers to
providing local families with the
kinds of services that best meet
their needs. The flexibility shown
by the Centre is making for a very
worthwhile partnership with the
Midlothian. Uptake and attendance
is good and constantly improving.
Denise has observed changes in
Junior after only a relatively short
time at Stepping Forward with him
showing more interest in what
is around him at nursery and at
home. In talking with staff at the
Centre, Denise is growing in her
understanding about how she can
support Junior’s development.
The staff show me how
they are trying to encourage
his interest in dinosaurs
through books and songs,
which is great.
Positive Steps in Bonnyrigg is
another Midlothian Sure Start
Centre in which partnership has
been further strengthened.
Maureen Black, Centre Coordinator, already is seeing the
benefit of being able to get to know
and work with an increased number
of children and families as more
families take up their entitlement.
Maureen recognises the benefit of
children being able to attend for
a longer time than perhaps they
would have done previously.
Having two-year-olds stay
for five sessions a week
allows us to establish with
them a strong attachment.
We all know how critical
that is in supporting
children to deepen their
learning and to be really
involved in the play on
offer to them.
Claire Mackie was the first
parent to register for and receive
a partnership place at Midlothian
Positive Steps for her daughter
Leah.
EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE: MIDLOTHIAN
My Health Visitor knew of
Positive Steps and the
staff there. She told me
it would be a great place
for Leah. She said that
Leah would get great
opportunities to play and
that the staff were very
knowledgeable. She said
that they could even offer
me tips and ideas on child
development.
Claire, whose son has additional
support needs, finds that a lot of her
time is taken up with appointments
and attending specialist clubs and
groups. It is important to Claire that
there is routine in Leah’s life and
that attending Positive Steps is a
part of that routine. As well as that,
it is relief for Claire to know that
Positive Steps is somewhere that
Leah feels important and is special.
Since Leah has started
Positive Steps she has
become so much more
interested in things. The
staff explain to me what
some of her play is about
and this really helps me
understand her
development.
Leah attends the setting five days
a week. Maureen believes that this
continuous contact has allowed
staff to make the most of their
observations by building on what
they see as Leah’s developing
strength. Staff also share
observations with parents.
Leah’s mum, Claire,
loves when we share our
observations. To see how
parents respond to that is
very powerful. Claire has
been so interested in what
we are saying. She sees
Leah as being capable
now of so much.
Midlothian believes that
strengthening critical transition
experiences is an additional
positive outcome of the expansion
of entitlement to two-year-olds.
Positive Steps shares a building
with Mount Esk Nursery School.
The Nursery School offers Early
Learning and Childcare to children
when they turn three-years-old and
the Midlothian Positive Steps centre
offers provision for under threes.
Both centres have always made the
most of the fact that they share a
building with, for example, a shared
garden area to which younger and
older children have access.
Staff have tried to offer a seamless
approach as children transition
out of one service into the next,
but there is scope to do even
more with this latest expansion
to the entitlement.
Maureen Black has already seen
the benefit of prioritising transitions
at an early stage:
We have found that
younger children really
benefit from spending
time with the three and
four-year-olds in the
Nursery School, and
vice versa. They model
play to each other and
seem to have a renewed
interest in experiences.
We are working hard with
colleagues to eliminate
any stop-start in children’s
learning journey.
The partnership approach being
taken by Midlothian is one that is
proving successful. Children are
making friendships with others and
are highly engaged in early play
experiences. The response from
parents, particularly their interest in
their own child’s learning, has been
a real benefit.
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Building the
Ambition
In the previous edition of Early Years Matters,
Liz Paterson, Professional Adviser at the Scottish
Government, introduced the national practice
guidance, Building the Ambition. Since then Scottish
Government has distributed the guidance to
approximately 10,000 settings across Scotland.
Practice has begun with Scottish Government and
Education Scotland delivering a series of events
across the country in which staff from all 32 local
authorities participated between November 2014 and
January 2015. The events were well attended and well
supported by local authorities.
Colleagues engaged very fully during the events.
The case studies offered as part of the training had
very much the desired effect of enabling reflection
and debate.
Building the Ambition is an excellent
document which will be useful for taking
things forward in my setting.
Taking a ‘cluster approach’, many of the events saw
colleagues from neighboring local authorities coming
together to develop the ideas offered in the guidance.
Now with over 300 Building the Ambition facilitators
trained, momentum is sure to increase.
Online access to Building the Ambition and additional
support materials are available for download on the
Education Scotland website.
http://bit.ly/BuildingAmbitionEdScot. This will include
links to the document, training materials and additional
case studies.
An enjoyable day where time for discussion
within inter-authority groupings led to
interesting and varied dialogue.
Taking a closer look at the guidance
The guidance is intended to:
• Build confidence and capability for those
who work with young children from birth to
starting school.
• Make links between practice, theory and policy
guidance to reinforce aspects of high quality
provision and the critical role played by Early
Learning and Childcare Practitioners.
• Clarify some aspects of current practice and
provide a reference which practitioners can
easily use.
• Support improvement and quality by
encouraging discussion and reflective
questioning about practice relevant in each
setting.
• Provide advice on achieving the highest quality
ELCC possible to allow our youngest children
to play their part in the Scottish Government’s
ambition of Scotland being the best place in
the world to grow up.
Organised in nine sections, the guidance deals
with important aspects of Early Learning and
Childcare, including: play and learning; attachment;
what makes the difference to children and families.
12 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Section 6 of the guidance: Early Learning and
Childcare - what do children need? focuses on
key characteristics of children at the stages, baby,
toddler and young child.
For each of the stages useful guidance is offered
about the “essential aspects which drive early
learning”: wellbeing, communication, promoting
curiosity, inquiry and creativity. Each aspect
is developed further by offering guidance on
appropriate experiences, the adult’s role and
setting the appropriate environment for learning.
• What should the environment consist of for a
baby to develop his/her communication? What about for a toddler? A young child?
• To what extent do you provide materials and
toys for toddlers to use to find out how they
move or what they are used for?
The guidance is intended to promote professional
reflection and to provoke debate and discussion.
Each section ends with key questions called ‘Putting
The Guidance Into Practice’. Some of these questions
relate to the case studies within the guidance.
Jamie excitedly arrives in nursery carefully
holding a shoebox which he is reluctant to
put down. His enthusiasm spills over to a
group of others and soon there is a cluster
of children eager to see what is inside. His
practitioner realises that Jamie needs time
and space to share his “find” with others so
suggests a quieter area of the playroom for
Jamie and his friends to sit down and talk
about what is in the box.
Excerpt from ‘Jamie’s Nest’, Building the
Ambition, page 29
Read the full case study.
http://bit.ly/jamiesnest
Additional supporting materials are available
on the Education Scotland.
http://bit.ly/BuildingAmbitionEdScot
I have really enjoyed the format of the day, in
particular working alongside colleagues from
other local authorities.
• What should adults do to support babies,
toddlers and young children in the promotion
of the key aspects?
• How often do you encourage toddlers to
initiate conversations? Do you often extend
conversations by asking well thought out
questions?
The guidance can be downloaded
http://bit.ly/BuildingAmbitionEdScot
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Remembering
Children of
Imprisoned Parents
Jean Carwood Edwards,
Chief Executive, *Early
Years Scotland, reminds
us of the need to prioritise
our support for ‘forgotten’
children and families.
*The Scottish Pre-school Play
Association became Early Years
Scotland in February 2015
So, why is it so important to know if we are
working with children who are affected by parental
imprisonment? Did you know that over 27,000 children
in Scotland are affected by parental imprisonment?
Did you know that a child of an imprisoned parent is
60% more likely to become an offender themselves?
Nor did I until very recently.
Our work together has resulted in dads being allowed
to have physical contact with their children and to
engage in activities that come naturally to them as
parents. As a result of our work, prisoners are now
increasingly encouraged to play and be actively
engaged with their children within purpose-built
play areas.
Having worked closely with children and families
affected by imprisonment, I have become increasingly
aware of some of the challenges that we face in
providing the right kind of support. Children of
imprisoned parents often feel excluded at nursery,
school and everyday social activities that other
children may take for granted.
At this time in Scotland of transformational change,
we understand the critical need to try to address
issues within which there are particular and complex
challenges. The aspiration to make Scotland the best
place in the world to grow-up needs to be true for
every child and every parent or main carer has a
role to play.
The biggest risk of all to the children is that they
are just simply forgotten, and yet children who have
a parent in prison form the biggest, single most
disadvantaged group of children in our country.
Early Years Scotland’s Early Years Practitioners
Linda Davidson and Lynne Johnstone, deliver a
variety of sessions to nurture relationships and
create parental confidence.
Through our work with the Scottish Prison Service
(SPS) in the SSSC Care Accolade winning programme
‘Learning Together Through Play’, young children
affected by parental imprisonment across Scotland
are being given extra care and attention so that they
are not forgotten. With our support, the Scottish Prison
Service (SPS) is committed to supporting children in
their earliest years, acknowledging the vested interest
they have in working proactively to address cycles of
offending as part of a wider approach to rehabilitation.
Our training, expertise and life experience tells us
that healthy relationships are central to healthy holistic
development. Our programmes promote closeness
between children and parents through play-based
experiences, building-on the natural parental desire
to ‘do the best’ for your child.
14 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | SPRING 2015
Our ‘Fathers’ Programme’ encourages dads to reflect
on and talk about their own childhood and to share
their own play experiences. Using these reflections,
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Not only that, some dads have renewed motivation
in other aspects of their life. Dads tell us how they
look forward to the sessions. Between sessions they
think about what they have learned and begin to
think about what they could do differently and
better at the next session.
We have seen an impact on the self-esteem of dads
as a result of being conscious of the important and
positive contribution they can make to their child’s
development and learning. We know the connections
between low self-esteem and crime, so anything
that can be done to redress that imbalance has
to be worthwhile.
We have also looked for other opportunities to
give wider messages to dads about parenting. For
example, we have supported one prison to provide
a healthy-eating programme as part of the family
play sessions where families prepare and eat a
meal together before they play together.
The impact on children of this work is clear to see.
One Family Contact Officer told us:
they think about the importance of play for their young
child and about the role that they have as a dad.
Dads watch film excerpts to observe the negative
effects of stress on the developing brain. Other key
discussion topics are attachment, children’s rights
and child development, which we find helps dads
understand the importance to children of highly
interactive play with attuned parents and carers. We
do want to encourage dads to put theory into practice,
so we give lots of opportunities for dads to engage in
practical play experiences with their child. Some have
even learned the art of baby massage, which we know
promotes attachment and a sense of wellbeing for
both baby and parent.
The impact on how they see themselves as a parent
has been really significant.
I definitely have more knowledge on
how to be a good parent and a better
role model for my new born son. When
I’m home, I will be playing with him
and reading to him lots to help his
development.
The interactions fathers have with their
children and families at the range of SPPA
sessions offered such as baby massage,
including what they learn in the Fathers’
Programme, has made them appreciate
the effect this has on their children and
changes the way they think.
Parents have fed back that the child-friendly nature of
the sessions allow proper time for family bonding and
that the relaxed atmosphere is a much more pleasant
experience for children. One father told us:
I have learned so much, I hope other
people get the chance to do this course
as it would make a massive difference to
them, their kids and family.
To get such feedback is great. We have every
confidence that this early intervention approach is
making a real difference to children, parents and
families who could be so easily forgotten.
If you would like more information about what you
have read in the article, visit Early Years Scotland
website: www.earlyyearsscotland.org or contact Early
Years Scotland Service Manager, Lesley Campbell:
lesley.campbell@earlyyearsscotland.org.
Early Years Scotland has been supported through funding from Aberdeen City Council, HMP and YOI
Grampian and the Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership for its work at HMP and YOI Grampian
Prison, and by the Big Lottery Fund for its work at HMP Low Moss and HMP Dumfries.
UPDATES
New Look Website for SCMA Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) proudly
launched the new look www.childminding.org
back in November 2014 and has received fantastic
feedback so far. The website includes a ‘My
Membership Dashboard’ which allows members
to: log their CPD learning; book training courses;
advertise their service; increase their knowledge
in the Learning Library; catch-up on the latest from
SCMA’s social media.
SCMA Chief Executive Maggie Simpson said of
the new website: “This really is a valuable tool for our
childminders. The fact you can do so much at the
click of a button is a real time-saver which I know our
members appreciate.”
Take a look around at www.childminding.org
Setting the Table –
Giving children the best
nutritional start in life
Setting the Table is guidance that promotes the
importance of good nutrition in the early years
offering advice on food standards, providing breakfast,
pack lunches, snack guidance, sample menus and
recipes. It offers practical advice on providing for:
special diets, religious faiths and beliefs and
children with additional needs. The latest edition
has guidance on the nutritional needs of children
from birth to one year; and, offers helpful advice on
topics such as breastfeeding, formula feeding,
weaning, and menu planning for babies.
The guidance has been written for a wide audience
covering Early Learning and Childcare settings,
parents and carers, childminders and caterers.
Setting the Table is being distributed to all childcare
providers in Scotland and is available to download
from the NHS Health Scotland
http://bit.ly/settingthetable
Noticeboard
Updates
Care Inspectorate
The Care Inspectorate continues
a major review of its scrutiny and
improvement methodology and, as part of this, it is to
pilot new types of inspections from April 2015 through
a series of tests of change. People who use and
provide services are helping to drive this agenda and
many have taken part in focus groups and an online
survey; in addition, the Care Inspectorate convened a
small advisory group with a number of providers at the
chief executive/director level.
Although the new methodology will not be in place
until 2017, and there is significant development work
to be undertaken, the overall aim is to support better
outcomes for people who use services.
Save the Date.
SLF 2015 will
take place on
Wednesday 23rd
and Thursday 24th
September.
Registration for the biggest
event in the Education
calendar will be open from
May onwards.
Find out more at the SLF website.
www.scottishlearningfestival.org.uk
Changes to Education Scotland Website:
Early Learning and Childcare
Education Scotland’s website is being refreshed.
You will now find all materials and resources relevant to Early
Learning and Childcare in the Learning and Teaching section
of the website.
More materials have been added to the Professional
Learning section. Materials for Professional Dialogue include:
video excerpts; reflective questions; resources and materials.
Let us know your thoughts, ideas and plans via
Glow https://bit.ly/earlylearn or
via Twitter @CafTeam #TalkELCC