Education Scotland’s
EARLY YEARS
MATTERS
CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE... THE EARLY YEARS FRAMEWORK // ISSUE 3 // AUTUMN 2012
Creativity
in the Early
Years
Creative
approaches
to practice...
Brucehill Tots Speak Scots
The Three Little Pigs Debate
– Whose side are you on?
WELCOME
ARTICLE TITLE/SECTION HEADER
Contents
4
10
04 Brucehill Tots Speak Scots
Working with parents to
develop children’s literacy
skills
06 Bookbug Primary 1
10
07
08
Early Years Saturday
Conference Report
Learning about Scotland in
the early years
Nurturing Outdoor Play
17
Improving wellbeing in
pre-school children
12
New family pack
07
17
New Findings from
Growing Up in Scotland
(GUS)
Early experiences of
primary school
13
Social Services
Knowledge Scotland
14
Supporting emotional
literacy through music
Parenting Across Scotland
Information and support
for families
09 Making a Difference
Music and Me
16
Starcatchers
Thinking creatively
Around Scotland
SPPA work with
vulnerable families
26
Online interdisciplinary
learning resource
18
The Three Little Pigs
Debate
20
Care Inspectorate Update
27
NHS Health Scotland
Update
News and resources
22
A Right Wee Blether
SQA
New higher childcare
and development course
28
Annette Bruton, Chief
Executive, talks about the
way forward
21
Young Parents’ Support
Base
Support for teenage
parents
Using the media to
support learning
New website
CPDCentral
Your questions answered
Marks on the Landscape
18
Early Learning in Angus
Council
A documentation
approach
30
Go Play Outcome and
Evaluation Framework
Scottish Government
tool to promote and
develop play
Children have their say!
24
SSSC Update
Resources to support
practitioners
Education Scotland’s Early Years Matters magazine is published
twice yearly, in the spring and autumn. The Early Years Team at
Education Scotland is keen to seek practitioners’ views on this
professional development publication in order to inform future
issues of the magazine.
We would like to invite practitioners to take part in an online
survey which will only take a few moments but will be hugely
beneficial to the editorial team. Responses are anonymous and
will be held in the strictest of confidence.
To complete the survey go to:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/earlyyears/survey.asp
4 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
WELCOME
A few words from Liz Paterson
Assistant Director Children and Families
Dear colleagues
The term ‘full circle’ springs to
mind as I write! When I worked in
Learning and Teaching Scotland
over 10 years ago I remember
the excitement and expectation
surrounding the publication of the
very first edition of Early Years
Matters. That seems hardly any
time at all and many things have
changed since then. However,
what remains the same is the high
quality information and contacts
which the magazine contains and
which we know you appreciate.
There have been changes here
too of a different nature, as
Education Scotland reached
its first birthday on 1 July 2012.
Organisational development is
now complete and early years
sits within Directorate A – Early
Years, Families and Partnerships
with Alistair Delaney as Strategic
Director. He is supported by
three assistant directors, Peter
McNaughton with responsibility
for Education Authorities, Joan
MacKay with responsibility for
Parental Involvement and myself
with responsibility for Children and
Families. It is a huge challenge but
one that offers exciting possibilities
for the future.
We have also had some changes
in personnel within early years and
we say a sincere and fond farewell
to three people who have been
instrumental in the development of
early education in Scotland.
First, Kate Cherry, who you will
know as Assistant Chief Inspector
HMIe for Early Years, has decided
to retire and intends to pursue her
love of travel with some exciting
trips already planned. Second,
Jean Carwood Edwards, who you
will know particularly from her time
in LTS as Early Years Team Leader
and latterly Programme Director,
has decided to take a short break
before moving on to her next
challenge. We also say goodbye to
Myra Struthers, Early Years Team
Leader, who has decided to retire
at the end of September to spend
time enjoying life with her family!
We wish them all the very best for
the future and thank them all so
much for their huge contribution to
early education in Scotland.
Our thanks also go to team
members Diane Buchanan who
returns to her substantive post, and
Catherine Hornby as she takes up
her new post as headteacher of
Troon Primary School.
Learning Festival, with the focus
on creativity – a theme we have
continued within this edition.
What could be more relevant to
the world of a young child? I am
absolutely convinced that the early
years sector is sector-leading
in our approach to fostering
creativity. I know from my visits to
establishments, many staff do a
tremendous job in encouraging
young children to be inquiring
and creative and are skilled
in developing the anticipated
possibilities of children’s learning.
That is no doubt what makes
working with young children so
exciting and so worthwhile.
Thank you to all who have
contributed to this edition of Early
Years Matters and we rely on you,
the reader, to let us know what
you think and any suggestions for
future content.
With very best wishes,
Liz Paterson
Assistant Director Children and Families
As you read this, many of you
will be attending the Scottish
Throughout this issue of Early Years Matters you will find Quick Response
(QR) Codes, which are a type of barcode that can be read using smartphones
and dedicated QR reading devices. In this issue they link directly to websites
related to some of the articles. If you have a smartphone, you can download
a QR code scanner application and use your phone
to scan the QR codes.
Scan this QR code with your phone or visit
www.whatisaqrcode.co.uk for further information
on how to use them.
03
INNOVATIVE PRACTICE
Brucehill Tots Speak Scots
Lynn McCafferty,
Head of Centre, Brucehill Early Education and Childcare Centre
Parents and carers
play an important role
in their child’s learning
and development and
at Brucehill we have
always worked closely
with them as we strive
for best outcomes for
our children.
We were delighted when Education
Scotland invited us to take forward
a project that would engage
parents and carers in supporting
the development of their child’s
literacy skills, focusing particularly
on talking, listening and reading
with their children.
The rationale for this project was
in response to intentions within
Scotland’s Literacy Action Plan.
The plan recognises the need
to promote and develop literacy
skills at all levels and across all
ages. Research findings from the
Growing Up in Scotland (GUS)
study reinforce the importance
and impact of the home learning
environment on children’s cognitive
development.
Staff at Brucehill felt it was
important to identify a context for
learning within the project which
was innovative and would be
4 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
motivating for both children and
parents/carers. With the current
renewed interest and emphasis
on learning about Scotland and
its language we decided that
engagement with Scots language
would be a challenging and
enjoyable context for learning.
Skills developed by parents/carers
to support their child’s learning
within this context could then be
applied to the wider development
of talking and listening skills.
INNOVATIVE
PRACTICE
WHAT’S KEEPING
US BUSY?
Our project therefore aimed to:
■ help parents to support their
child’s literacy development
with particular emphasis on
talking and listening skills;
■ build parents’ capacity to develop
the home learning environment
to support the development of
literacy skills; and
■ increase parents’ awareness
of, and confidence in, their role
as co-educator of their child
in partnership with early years
professionals.
To help us explore Scots, Matthew
Fitt, writer and Scots language
consultant, engaged parents/carers
in an informal discussion that got
them talking and thinking about
the use of Scots language past,
present and future. Workshops
involving parents/carers and staff
explored the history and role of
Scots language. Matthew also
worked with children and parents/
carers, providing practical sessions
within the playroom having fun
with Scots language – much to the
enjoyment of all involved!
Staff and parents/carers created
fun and exciting activities to do at
home using Scots language. They
created learning bags containing
resources, instructions and Scots
vocabulary for the games along
with suggestions for extending
the activities. Potential learning
was listed within the information
given to highlight to parents/carers
how they were supporting their
child. Children and parents/carers
took the learning bags home and
enjoyed the activities, involving
other members of the family too.
A storyteller from the Scottish
Storytelling Centre worked with
staff, parents/carers and children
demonstrating and developing
interactive storytelling skills involving
dance, drama and singing. Parents/
carers and children visited the local
library to meet a children’s book
illustrator who explained her role
and how illustrations within a book
support the story.
Staff also highlighted the potential
of the local environment as a resource
for language development. Children
and parents/carers visited and were
filmed at various local landmarks,
reading, singing and talking using
Scots. Throughout the project staff
continually highlighted to parents/
carers the links between listening
and talking and early reading/
writing skills across all language.
A DVD was produced from the
filming which will be used to
promote adult involvement in their
child’s literacy skills and also for
training purposes. This DVD was
premiered at a celebratory red
carpet event in the Cinema at Loch
Lomond Shores to recognise the
learning journey of staff, parents/
carers and children. Throughout
this project the main aim has always
been to support parents/carers
in being actively involved in the
development of their child’s literacy
skills. We also aimed to encourage
the use and understanding of Scots
as the children’s second language.
We raised awareness with both
parents and children that words they
are often told off for using are part
of their own distinct language and
culture and that there is a place for
Scots language in their lives. The
project demonstrated that learning
extends beyond the nursery,
throughout the local landscape, and
is a continual development that is
strongest with involvement and input
from parents.
“Doing this game I
feel I have helped my
child learn. He had to
concentrate on this
activity – he also had
to listen. We had a
good time reading the
Scottish book and
learning new words
together. It also helped
with his alphabet. It
was a really good fun
game which included
all the family.”
Parent
You can read the online case study
and view the film footage by visiting
the Sharing Practice section of the
Early Years website.
www.educationscotland.
gov.uk/earlyyears/
sharingpractice/
literacynumeracy.asp
For more information about
GUS and the research findings
please visit:
www.crfr.ac.uk/gus/
www.scotland.gov.uk/
Publications/2009/03/16101519/0
05
SCOTTISH BOOK TRUST
Bookbug Primary 1
Family
Pack
We are very excited about our
new free pack for primary 1 pupils
and their families, which will be
distributed in every primary school
this autumn. We are gifting the
pack in celebration of Book Week
Scotland, a national celebration of
reading and writing taking place from
27 November to 2 December 2012.
The pack is funded jointly by the Scottish Government
and Education Scotland, and we are incredibly
grateful for their support. We are also delighted to
include as part of the pack Jordan’s New Jaiket, a
book produced by Education Scotland which features
a first-class new story in Scots by Matthew Fitt,
illustrated by Glasgow-based artist Ross Collins.
Why are we doing it?
We know the most influential factor on children’s
educational attainment is their home learning
environment. Our new pack is designed as a tool for
parents to support primary 1 pupils as they enter
formal education and begin to get to grips with
reading and writing. We very much hope parents
and carers will share these fantastic stories with their
children, and be supported to do this by primary 1
teachers and their local children’s librarian.
6 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2012
The books in the pack are the early years shortlist
for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. These are
Scotland’s largest children’s book awards in which over
25,000 children read and vote for their favourite Scottish
book of the year. Once primary 1 children have read all
three books at home they have a chance to cast their
vote at school or in their local library for their favourite
of the three. This is the part that always proves most
exciting, and motivational, for the children involved.
What happens now?
If you are based in a primary school, do remember
to look out for this pack in the autumn. Schools will
also receive an additional free set of the three picture
books and a poster to promote the pack. If you would
like more information about the Bookbug Primary 1
Family Pack in your area, please contact your local
Bookbug Primary 1 contact: www.scottishbooktrust.
com/p1contacts
If you require any additional information please
contact Scottish Book Trust’s
Early Years Team on 0131
524 0179 or bookbug@
scottishbooktrust.com
CONFERENCE REPORT
Early Years Saturday Conference:
Learning about Scotland in the Early Years
Our keynote speakers explored how we can enrich the
learning experience for our youngest children through
Scottish language, culture, environment and heritage.
The day proved to be inspiring and informative with
many delegates commenting on the practical ideas
they could use in taking their work forward.
The study of Scotland is right at the
heart of Curriculum for Excellence.
The conference held on Saturday
19 May in Glasgow Royal Concert
Hall provided members of the early
years community with the opportunity
to consider the renewed emphasis on
learning about Scotland.
‘A very enjoyable and informative day.
Thought provoking and good ideas for
incorporating Scotland’s culture all year round.’
‘Everything about this conference met my
expectations. I would even say it developed
my knowledge and understanding about the
importance of outdoor play etc, even further.
It was very interesting – thank you.’
Delegate comments
To get a flavour of the day and to view short videos
of key messages from the presenters, please visit
our early years website at:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/
earlyyears/cpd/pastevents/index.asp
GLOW
CPDCentral – your questions answered
What is CPDCentral?
CPDCentral is an online CPD
community for all Scottish
educators. Within CPDCentral
there is an early years community
for practitioners and all those
interested in early years education.
How do I join?
This is very simple, just like joining
an online social network. Visit the link
below and share your details. You
will need a photograph of yourself
already saved on your computer.
The information you share will be
visible to others in the community
so make sure you highlight your
main areas of interest as other
practitioners may be interested in this
too. http:bit.ly/cpdhello
You will be asked to add your Glow
details and complete a simple
form. Make sure you add #early
to the hashtag area. More help is
available at http://bit.ly/glowhelp2
What will I find there?
Connect
■ Meet other practitioners
with similar interests to you.
■ Organise a Glow meet with
colleagues in the early years
meeting room, great if you
are based at opposite ends
of the country.
Suggested activities:
Add an intention. Tell us what you
intend to learn about, develop and
improve in your own practice. The
CPD team will help you through to
completion.
Join someone else’s intention. You
may know something that they don’t
or you could learn together!
Share
Learn
■ Share resources including
Word Documents, Power Points
and web links.
■ Explore the catalogue of
CPD opportunities, including
CPDFind.
■ Visit regularly to find what other
practitioners have shared.
■ Make a CPDRequest, seven requests
on the same subject means we will
put free CPD online for you!
Change
■ This area is all about practitioners
developing their practice to
improve impact on the lives and
learning of children.
Where can I find the
Early Years CPDCentral
Community?
http://bit.ly/earlycpd
07
PARENTING ACROSS SCOTLAND
Parenting Across Scotland
Information and Support for Families In Scotland
A recent poll conducted by Ipsos
MORI on behalf of Parenting across
Scotland (PAS) found that 72% of
parents didn’t know where to go for
advice and support about bringing
up their children; this figure rose
to 82% among parents living in
deprived areas.
widely used by early years professionals including health
visitors, nursery staff and teachers, and are also well
received by parents.
With this in mind, PAS provides simple straightforward
advice and support for parents through its website and
Ten Top Tips publications. Trawling through the hundreds
of thousands of sites about parenting on the internet,
and trying to decide which are trustworthy and relevant
to Scotland, is a daunting prospect. Parenting across
Scotland’s website pulls together resources, which
are reliable and accurate for use in Scotland, into one
place which parents can easily access. Organised by
age, the resources for parents section has information
on everything from breastfeeding to childcare – and
much more. Practitioner resources, that exemplify good
practice in parenting work, include an early years section.
Furthermore, our quarterly newsletter keeps practitioners
up to date with practice, events and new research.
PAS has been very involved in shaping the early years
agenda through its work on the Early Years Framework
and currently through participating in the formulation of
the National Parenting Strategy. We also contribute to
Early Years Taskforce sub-groups on culture and play,
and on family support.
Two of our Ten Top Tips booklets focus on Early Years:
Child’s Play and Starting Primary School. They are
8 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
Additionally, we ensure that parents’ voices are heard in
policy work. We do this by using our partners’ experience
of working with thousands of parents throughout Scotland
to inform our policy submissions. We also enable parents
to speak directly to politicians. At our parliamentary events,
parents have shared their parenting experiences such
as post natal depression, childcare and other issues with
politicians and decision makers.
Parenting across Scotland is a partnership of
voluntary organisations working together to provide
a focus for parenting in Scotland. The PAS partners
are Aberlour Childcare Trust, Capability Scotland,
CHILDREN1st, One Parent Families Scotland,
Relationships Scotland, Scottish Adoption and SMC
(Scottish Marriage Care).
To find out more about PAS, visit our
website or sign up to our newsletter at:
www.parentingacrossscotland.org
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Making a Difference
Around Scotland
Gwen Garner
Editor, Scottish Pre-school Play Association (SPPA)
SPPA’s Making a Difference project,
funded by Inspiring Scotland through
the Early Years and Early Action
Fund, builds on SPPA’s model of
working directly with vulnerable
families, developed over 10 years.
Designed using Getting It Right For Every Child
(GIRFEC) wellbeing indicators, the project helps
vulnerable children aged 0 to 3 and their parents or
carers to develop new skills, while building on existing
skills within a relaxed and welcoming environment.
Play is the vehicle used to improve attachment and
children’s development and learning. It also builds
parenting capacity by enhancing the knowledge, skills,
confidence and motivation of parents and carers. The
community based Stay and Play sessions are facilitated
to encourage shared play experiences for families to
have fun and learn together. Families are encouraged
to replicate play activities at home and so SPPA use
materials and activities which cost little or nothing.
What are the benefits?
The shared play experiences aim to:
■ strengthen attachment between children
and their parents;
■ develop children’s capacity for active learning;
■ help parents to actively support their children’s
development;
■ increase children’s confidence and self esteem;
■ encourage children to develop friendships;
■ promote children’s physical, emotional and
social development;
■ give parents and children the opportunity
to learn new skills and play activities which
they can do themselves at home; and
■ give parents the opportunity to develop
friendships and a support network.
The feedback from participating families
speaks volumes:
“I like the fact that it was a nice mixture of activities
and it gave my child a chance to try messy things
which I wouldn’t have tried at home.”
“It’s lovely to meet other mums and discuss issues.
My son has learned lots - sharing, socialising etc.”
“H is an only child so benefits from socialising and
sharing with peers.”
“We learn new songs and discuss feeding issues.”
Where to find us
The community-based Stay and Play sessions are
currently running in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dumfries,
and Come and Play sessions in Dumfries Prison.
For more information, contact Kim Walker
at kim.walker@sppa.org.uk or visit:
www.sppa.org.uk/index.html
09
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Nurturing Outdoor Play
Julie Buchanan
Early Years and Parenting Officer, Grounds for Learning
A new approach to improving the
wellbeing of pre-school children
through outdoor play with their
parents is yielding exciting results.
The Nurturing Outdoor Play project involves Grounds
for Learning (GfL) working with eight partner settings
in Central Scotland to run regular weekly outdoor
play sessions for small groups of children and their
parents. This project is funded by the Early Years and
Early Action Fund which is administered by Inspiring
Scotland. These sessions are based in the settings’
outdoor space as well as local parks, woodlands
and areas of greenspace. This includes two of the
identified places to learn as set out in the guidance
document Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor
Learning, namely the establishments’ grounds and its
local area. This gives children a base of experience to
build on as they progress in their education, learning
in places further afield and in residential areas. A
second strand of the project involves helping the
settings to work with parents and other community
members to improve their outdoor spaces and provide
10 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
more opportunities for free play. In each setting, we
are seeing positive outcomes for children, parents
and practitioners.
Benefits for children
We used a modified version of Pianta’s behaviour
rating scale for children to monitor changes in
behaviour over the ten-week period. This scale
monitors a selection of positive behaviours, such as,
is able to adhere to rules and can play co-operatively,
and negative behaviour such as, demonstrates
destructive behaviour and is involved in physical
conflict. The assumption is that positive behaviours
reflect positive wellbeing. The evaluation was
completed for every child after each session by both
the GfL Project Officer and a staff member from the
partner setting. In every setting, the overwhelming
majority of children demonstrated a reduction of
negative behaviours and an increase in positive
behaviours.
Benefits for parents
Another key outcome is the growing confidence of
parents to play outdoors with their children.
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
For example, at the start of the project, one parent had
expressed worries about her child’s safety outdoors
and, like many parents, a dislike of mess and dirt.
Through the project she has been helped to
understand the benefits of an element of risk in play
and shown how to help her child to explore and judge
risk in a safe environment. This is something that is
now a clear part of the curriculum for all ages. For
her, watching how other parents manage risk in play
has allowed her to relax a lot more. With appropriate
clothing and gentle support, she has also overcome
her dislike of messy play, and by the end of the project
was crawling through a water culvert with her wee one
– and enjoying it!
We had hoped to observe an improvement in the quality
of relationships between children and their parents,
again using an adapted version of a scale developed
by Robert Pianta. However, in practice it proved difficult
to gather evidence of progress in this area.
Benefits for practitioners
Practitioners in the project settings have described
a positive impact on their work as a result of being
involved in the project. One family support worker has
significantly changed her practice after participating
in some of the outdoor play training sessions. Where
possible, she is now taking her ‘home visits’ out of the
home into the back yard or nearby greenspace. She
has reported that parents are often more engaged in
these sessions with fewer distractions than indoors,
particularly the television. Children were often more
vocal in expressing their ideas and sharing their
thoughts when surrounded by a more interesting and
engaging environment. She also reported an occasion
when a dad who had been reluctant to engage got
involved in an outdoor den building session, allowing a
deeper level of engagement than had previously been
possible. These experiences suggest that there would
be value in supporting family workers to provide some
of their support visits outdoors – an idea that we’re
hoping to develop further.
The project is funded until the end of March 2013 and
we are hoping to secure further funding to allow us to
extend the approach to other settings across Scotland
and support more families with these therapeutic
experiences.
You can see pictures from these projects and find
further information on other GfL projects by looking
at our Facebook page – just search ‘Grounds for
Learning’.
You can also find more detailed project
reports by following the ‘Nurturing Outdoor
Play’ links on the ‘Programmes Page’ of
our website at: www.gflscotland.org
011
GROWING UP IN SCOTLAND
New Findings from Growing
Up in Scotland (GUS)
Early Experiences
of Primary School
A new report from GUS provides information about early experiences
of primary school for children in Scotland.
The report looks in detail at the factors which lead
to a positive early experience of school for children
including the early engagement of parents with the
school and child’s teacher, and the many practical
issues associated with starting school such as school
choice, transport, and wrap-around care.
Several key findings were identified for children at age 6.
■ 71% of children get homework every day
or most days.
■ 8% of children have an additional support need.
To read the full report, please visit:
www.scotland.gov.uk/
Publications/2012/05/7940
■ 87% of children started school in the August when
they were first eligible and 13% had their entry
deferred.
■ Almost half of the children born in January or
February were deferred. 15% of boys had their
entry deferred compared with 9% of girls.
■ The vast majority of children were perceived by
their parents to be ready for school. Perceived
readiness was related to children’s social,
emotional and behavioural development and
cognitive ability at age 5.
■ Most parents had engaged in some activities
to help prepare their child for school, such as
visiting the school and exploring letters and
numbers. Parents with higher levels of education
were more likely to have provided a greater
number of preparation activities than those
with lower or no qualifications.
■ 71% of parents are very satisfied with their
child’s school while 26% are fairly satisfied.
The factors driving parents’ satisfaction were:
receiving information about what the children are
learning and how to help them learn; the usefulness
of parents evenings; the approachability of
teachers and parents’ confidence in being able
to help their child with homework.
12 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
GUS is the longitudinal research study tracking the lives
of thousands of children and their families right across
Scotland from birth through to the teenage years and
beyond. The report Early Experiences of Primary
School uses data from children in both the child cohort
and the birth cohort, who started school between 2007
and 2010.
For more information about GUS please
visit: www.growingupinscotland.org.uk
GUS is funded by the Scottish Government and
is carried out by ScotCen Social Research, in
collaboration with the Centre for Research on
Families and Relationships at the University of
Edinburgh and the MRC Social and Public Health
Sciences Unit in Glasgow.
SOCIAL SERVICES KNOWLEDGE SCOTLAND
Introducing the New Early
Years Website from Social
Services Knowledge Scotland
www.ssks.org.uk/earlyyears
Social Services Knowledge Scotland
(SSKS), in partnership with NHS
Education for Scotland, is pleased
to announce the launch of its all new
early years portal.
If you work within an early years setting then this new
site is the place to go to find relevant, quality assured
information on a wide variety of topics.
The site is intended to be a ‘one stop shop’ for finding
and sharing knowledge on early years. It includes
research, guidance, legislation, articles and eBooks
on topics such as development of literacy, play, child
protection, family support and transitions. There is a
section on delivering services which covers legislation,
management, regulation and inspection. As well as
providing information for those working in the early
years, it also provides support for those who access
early years services.
If you are interested in finding out more about the
site then please sign up to one of our free online
training sessions. These sessions last half an hour
and include an overview of SSKS in general, plus
a tour and demo of the early years portal.
Just go to this link and follow the
instructions to register.
www.research.net/s/EYweb
For more information or to order promotional
materials for the early years portal, please
contact: ssks@nes.scot.nhs.uk
If you want to keep up to date with the latest news and
information on early years then you can sign up to our
RSS feeds which gather updates from key early years
organisations and on the latest relevant journal articles
and reviews.
As well as information for practice, the site promotes
several different communities of practice where those
involved in early years can work together to share
information and build knowledge. For those interested in
setting up their own community, there is information on
how NHS Education for Scotland can support you in this.
The site also links to resources on improving study and
IT skills. These sections may be useful for anyone who
would like to work on their presentation, essay and
report writing skills, or who want to brush up on IT.
013
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Music and Me
Supporting Emotional Literacy
through Music in the Early Years
Patrick Holden
Principal Teacher of Primary Music Specialists and Youth Music Initiative Co-ordinator, East Lothian
Inspired by Curriculum for
Excellence, East Lothian’s Support
from the Start and Youth Music
Initiative have collaborated with
David Trouton, a composer for
Children’s Theatre, to develop Music
and Me. This new resource for
nursery staff uses music to support
the development of emotional
literacy while fine-tuning children’s
14 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
listening skills, supporting early
literacy development.
One of the priorities for the Youth Music Initiative (YMI)
is involvement in developing useful early years music
resources. This new resource allows practitioners,
irrespective of their perceived musical ability, to feel
confident that they can use rhythm, song and music to
support children’s learning and development.
The materials enable children to experience a
range of activities that includes: singing; exploring
different sounds; playing instruments in groups;
creating sound stories and listening to short music
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
excerpts that express contrasting emotions. It also
supports the development of many useful life skills
such as listening, following instructions, turn-taking,
active learning, collaboration and co-operation.
The stories help develop young children’s early
literacy skills while at the same time exploring simple
emotional vocabulary in a very child-friendly way.
Music and Me has now been used in East Lothian
nurseries over the past year and is being monitored
and evaluated through a programme of continuous
professional development, support visits and
feedback questionnaires. Early evaluations suggest
that practitioners find the materials very useful and
that children are really enjoying the sessions. Music
and Me emphasises the most important aspect of
music as a teaching tool - quite simply - “music must
be fun!”.
“As a composer, I am fascinated by the
power of music to influence our moods
and feelings, enabling us to communicate
ideas and tell stories in a deeply engaging
way. Young children have an intuitive and
personal connection with music – what
music means and how it makes them feel
– which they love to explore.
In Music and Me we set out to develop
a range of music activities to stimulate
this natural curiosity, while at the
same time encouraging concentration,
sharing, leading and following and selfexpression that playing music together
models so well.
As well as active listening games and
exercises comparing and contrasting
sounds, the resource utilises ‘Sound
Stories’ – simple engaging stories that
the children underscore with sound
effects and music that afford the
opportunity to discuss the emotional
journey of a story in depth – Why is a
character sad, happy or angry? What
sort of music would help us tell that?
Researched and developed alongside
staff in early years settings, the
creative partnerships helped to ensure
that the material was evidence-based,
well-targeted, closely connected with
the existing curriculum and suitable
for all staff to use regardless of their
musical experience.”
Lorraine Carde nursery teacher, Whitecraig Primary
School, talks about early evidence of impact from
using the resource:
“The sessions in Music and Me were flexible
and easily adapted to suit the needs of
the children. For example, we found during
the work with David that the younger children
needed the sessions shortened. The ‘warmup’ activities afforded the children an
opportunity to express their feelings, initially
by making faces and then gradually, they
developed more confidence to talk about
how they were feeling.
There were many opportunities for the
children to discover the value of friendships
and the importance of ‘respect’ as they were
encouraged throughout to share instruments,
help each other and listen to others views.
There was a gradual improvement in cooperation between the children as each
session built on the experiences gained in
the previous one. We also found that using
an instrument or identifying certain sounds
helped the children to share what they felt
in an easy, relaxed, informal and fun way.
It was also lovely to have the time to observe
the children as it particularly increased the
confidence of our more reserved children.”
More information about Music and Me can
be found at:
http://engagewithmusic.wordpress.com
David Trouton
015
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Starcatchers
Thinking Creatively
Rhona Matheson
Director, Starcatchers
Starcatchers is an arts organisation working
in partnership with artists, arts venues,
child-care settings and families to develop
exciting, inspiring performing arts experiences
for children aged 0-4 in Scotland.
Children of all ages have a right to access arts and
culture – the arts are not an optional extra but should
be a fundamental experience for all human beings.
By stimulating play through creativity, the arts support
very young children to explore the world around them.
We have worked in a number of different communities
with a range of artists since 2006 and engaged with
more than 75,000 of babies, toddlers, their parents,
carers and educators in the process.
The Playground
We are just about to launch a new residency project
based in child care settings in Barrhead and Hamilton.
Supported by Creative Scotland, as part of the Year
of Creative Scotland celebrations, The Playground
will work with children, parents and staff to explore
the potential impact of ongoing access to the arts.
Additionally, we will be looking at how our work can
connect to and complement other programmes
being delivered to support these families.
When we first began, people questioned why there
was a need for this type of activity, saying that very
young children wouldn’t be able to sit still for long
enough to engage with performances. However it
was clear immediately that our audience, some of
whom were as young as four months, could engage
with our performances. After all performance is
just an extension of play and we just play in a
different way.
The natural curiosity that children have, combined
with their need to connect to those around them,
make very young children a natural audience.
Their response is immediate – which is both
challenging and inspiring for artists. The children’s
response to performances also draws their parents
and carers into the experience, making it something
that they have shared together.
16 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
Creating connections
We have been making connections with different
sectors and professionals who engage with early
years in Scotland. We are embarking on research
and consultation to explore the potential for an
early years creative network for Scotland. The network
will share information, best practice and seed
opportunities for new creative projects in the future.
For more information log on to:
www.starcatchers.org.uk
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Marks on the Landscape
Stephen Bullock
Creativity Team, Education Scotland
Marks on the Landscape is an
online interdisciplinary learning
resource. The context for learning
and teaching for this resource
is Fife Earth, an ambitious land
regeneration project. Marks on the
Landscape demonstrates how this
simple starting point can open up
possibilities for creative learning
and teaching across the curriculum.
Fife Earth
What would you do with a 660-acre hole in
the ground?
This was the challenge faced by Scottish Resources
Group when a Fife coal mine reached the end of its
productive life. Their solution was a creative one and
resulted in the development of The Fife Earth Project.
Designed by the world-renowned artist, Charles
Jenks, the scars of the surface mine have been
transformed into a vast, magnificent park land, with
sculpted hills, lochs and walkways that represent
Scotland, its people and their place in the world.
With a loch in the shape of Scotland at its centre,
the site is a unique stimulus for inter-disciplinary
work, both in and out of the classroom.
© Charles Jencks
A key aim of Marks on the Landscape is to inspire
creativity across the curriculum and the site offers
definitions of creativity and creative skills, exploring
how these skills might be applied to learning.
It integrates creative learning with many of the
experiences and outcomes across a range of subjects.
By providing a variety of stimulating contexts, the
resource supports young people in developing
knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities
and many positive attributes. The content is inspiring
and easily applied to early years. The Outdoor
Journeys section is of particular interest as it is a
simple approach to outdoor learning, providing a very
open framework for both learners and practitioners.
The resource also highlights how many artists,
including Andy Goldsworthy and Andy Scott, have
drawn inspiration from the Scottish landscape and
created works for the natural environment.
Marks on the Landscape is one of a range of creative
online resources from Education Scotland which also
incude: Screening Shorts, Transform and the Creativity
Portal. These resources signpost the way in creative
teaching, helping to empower your own learning
journeys alongside your young learners.
To find out more please visit:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/
marksonthelandscape/
© Scottish Resources Group, April 2012
017
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
The Three Little Pigs Debate:
Whose side are you on?
Sarah Hynie
Class Teacher, Canongate Primary School, St Andrews
I was using this traditional tale
as a context for learning with my
primary 2 class when The Guardian
newspaper released their advert
about ‘The Three Little Pigs’, as part
of their campaign to promote open
journalism. This provided
a great opportunity to expand
the children’s understanding of
justice using a variety of texts.
Actively engaged in their learning, the children had
great fun making up characteristics for the three pigs:
the youngest loved to work out; the middle one was
fixated with his Xbox; and the oldest one loved to clean!
Initially the children were very angry with the wolf and
questioned who would do these things to their beloved
pigs. Then the children received a surprise letter from
the wolf, who was now in jail, requesting that they hear
his side of the story. The letter was entitled ‘The True
Story’ by A Wolf. The class was divided with regards to
whose side they were now on.
We decided to have a debate so that all sides of
the story could be heard. The wolf’s supporters made
18 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
the case that a large percentage of us also eat bacon.
The pigs’ supporters on the other hand felt very sad
for the families of the pigs, and for all the hard work
they had put into building their houses.
The Guardian then released their newspaper and
television advertisement about ‘The Three Little Pigs’.
The timing was perfect! It was a terrific opportunity
to broaden our project, using The Guardian as a
tool to enhance teaching and learning. The children
assumed that it must have been their debating that
had produced such media attention. The children
were so excited by this turn of events that they wanted
to find out everything about what the wolf actually
did and whether the pigs were telling the truth. The
learning and enthusiasm resulting from these debates
was outstanding.
The children considered whether the story was in
fact a conspiracy; had the pigs set the wolf up? The
wolf had asthma after all and so he could not have
blown the houses down! Some of the children in the
class suffer from asthma, and feeling a connection
with the wolf, they used this in their arguments for the
wolf’s innocence. The children described how hard it
could be to breathe at times, and therefore it would be
unfeasible for the wolf to blow down any houses, straw
or not. The class was already divided over who was in
the right, but after The Guardian’s article, even more of
the children joined the wolf’s side.
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
They had debates over who was in the right and who
was in the wrong; some children strongly agreed with
the statements in the advertisement and some came
up with their own ideas and arguments. Others used
the information to delve even further into the different
sides of the story. They all wanted to have their say.
Some children remained strongly on the side of the
pigs, saying:
“Where will second pig play his Xbox
now?! It’s so sad for him.”
“Third pig loves cleaning and loves his
home. Imagine going to all that trouble and
then thinking someone might blow it down,
and imagine the mess!
Third pig would hate that.”
Others felt very strongly that wolf was innocent:
“He had asthma, he couldn’t have done it.”
“Mummy wolf would be so sad. He was
a good wolf, and just went to the pigs’
houses to get a cup of sugar for his dear
old sick granny!”
“Yeah, he is such a good wolf caring
for his granny.”
Others believed the wolf had blown down the houses,
but had not done it on purpose:
“I think he did it, but by accident.
It would not have been by huffing and
puffing, it must have been a sneeze,
by accident. The powder from his
inhaler made him sneeze.”
We decided the only thing to do was to have
a court case to come to a final decision:
Was the wolf innocent or guilty?
After all the evidence was heard, and all the points of
view and the arguments for and against were debated,
the jury decided the wolf was innocent! The decision
was not unanimous but a majority vote was reached,
and the class accepted the decision of the jury.
This project has been a fantastic opportunity to
explore a more holistic approach to learning, exploring
a variety of curricular areas including literacy,
citizenship, health and wellbeing, ICT and media.
To read Sarah Hynie’s teacher network
blog post for The Guardian please visit:
http://bit.ly/HqDIy0#
CARE INSPECTORATE UPDATE
The Way Forward…
Annette Bruton
Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate
talks about life in her new job
Making a difference to vulnerable
people’s lives has always been at
the heart of Annette Bruton’s career.
She joined the Care Inspectorate in February, after
a successful appointment at Aberdeen City Council
as Director of Education, Culture and Sport. Annette
previously held the post of Chief Inspector with
HM Inspectorate where she played a key role in
developing their successful multi-agency Child
Protection Unit.
Having spent the last couple of months getting
to grips with, and absorbing all that the Care
Inspectorate does, she looks forward to tackling care
services that are not up to scratch – and relishes the
challenges that lie ahead for this relatively new scrutiny
and inspection body.
Annette explains: “We have taken a huge step to
bring together the Care Commission, Social Work
Inspection Agency and the Child Protection arm
of HM Inspectorate of Education, as the Care
Inspectorate; and it’s now time to push onward
to the next part of our journey.”
Their new approach for joint children’s inspections is
well under way. It looks at how well local authorities,
20 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
health boards, the police and others are working together
to improve the lives of children and young people. The
methodology was recently piloted, and when finalised,
this approach will be rolled out later in the year.
Annette explains: “We are taking a whole-child
approach – considering how well services work
together as a network of support around a child
to meet their needs holistically. Every agency or
profession involved plays a vital role in making sure
the child at the centre is safe, healthy, active, nurtured,
achieving, respected, responsible and included.”
Talking about how she sees the Care Inspectorate
developing, Annette explains:
“We need to get the balance right between
regulation, inspection, assurance and
improvement. To do this, we have to work
in different ways and the new multi-agency
approach to inspecting children’s
services will act as the model for adult
and older people’s services next year.
It’s all about improving outcomes for
people using care services. And this will
help us to make social work and social
care as good as it can be – for everyone
in Scotland – from the very young to the
very old.”
NHS HEALTH SCOTLAND UPDATE
News and Resources
from NHS Health Scotland
The recent evaluation of play@home has been
published on the NHS Health Scotland website.
The evaluation aims to gain greater understanding
of play@home in local areas, its reach to vulnerable
families and the contribution of training to programme
sustainability. Key findings include that this is an
effective resource to meet key national outcomes in
giving children the best start in life, improving life
chances and creating confident learners.
Ready Steady Baby Smartphone App and New
Mobile Friendly RSB website – coming soon!
NHS Health Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow
and Clyde are creating a pilot Ready Steady Baby
Smartphone app for expectant and new parents to
support them in planning a pregnancy and throughout
pregnancy, labour and birth, and parenthood. The
first phase of the project will take parents from
preconception up to the first year of life.
See www.healthscotland.com/
documents/2887.aspx to view or
download a copy
The project aims to engage with expectant and new
parents in an innovative way to prepare them for
childbirth and parenthood. The app will increase their
confidence and knowledge and encourage improved
early access to antenatal and child health services.
This will support and enable parents to provide the best
possible start for their babies and provide warm and
confident parenting.
For more information please contact
Irene.Miller@nhs.net
Nutritional Guidance for Early Years and
Adventures in Foodland – coming soon!
The above resources are under review and as part
of the reprint the resources will be combined in
a new pack. The Nutritional Guidance for Early
Years, will be expanded to cover from birth to five
years and include breastfeeding and preparation
of infant formula. Every early years establishment
and registered child minder will be provided with
the new resource which will be published early 2013.
For more information please contact
laurahunter2@nhs.net
NEW Attachment Briefing Paper for Professionals
The Attachment Briefing paper will be of interest to
all health, education and social care professionals.
The information is relevant to staff at all levels
working with children and families to inform and
increase understanding of the theory and practice of
promoting secure attachment.
See www.healthscotland.com/
documents/5755.aspx
to view or download a copy
021
A RIGHT WEE BLETHER
A RIGHT wee blether
Children Have Their Say!
22 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
A RIGHT WEE BLETHER
The results of a RIGHT wee blether, the
creative conversation with 2 to 5 year olds
that took place from September to
December last year, continues to inspire
the work of Scotland’s Commissioner
for Children and Young People.
Children and adults who took part received Wee
Storybooks, which were the main feedback mechanism
for the project. The storybooks asked a series of questions
and the comments, ideas and pictures they provoked
have now been captured in a briefing produced by the
Commissioner’s Participation & Education team.
The briefing highlights the project’s main findings including
the fact that all local authorities participated in a RIGHT
wee blether with 78% of the wee story books issued being
completed and returned by a variety of nursery groups.
One of the questions asked in the Wee Storybooks
was ‘How are you feeling today?’ Responses included:
“I’m happy because my grandma gave
me a fishing rod and we went fishing.”
“I’m happy because I’m going to paint
with my mummy today.”
80% of children were feeling happy when they
were doing their Wee Books About Me. This was
a total of 10,265 children.
Under ‘What makes you smile?’, family was the most
common theme; 88% of children mentioned a family
member, while activities or play were mentioned by
64% of children.
Comments in this section included:
Asked ‘Who is special to you?’, family was again
most popular, with 98% of all children talking about
a family member; 61% of children said that friends
were special to them.
When told they had been given a special star and
asked where they would put it, 447 children chose
to show it off, 416 children wanted to keep it safe,
and 281 thought it needed to be kept in a special
place. Children’s comments included:
“I’d put it on Daddy’s back because
he would get really itchy!”
“In heaven, so it can be beside my Gran.”
Of the children who responded to the question
‘What would you like to change?’ nearly half
(47%) identified home as a key theme. The majority
of these responses talked about changing things in
the children’s bedrooms like the colour of the walls or
having a room of their own. Others wanted to make
their houses bigger, tidier or quieter.
More than two-thirds of respondents had heard of
Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young
People, and most respondents (84%) had heard
about the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of the Child.
One of the aims of a RIGHT wee blether was to
highlight the capacity of very young children to have
opinions about the things that matter to them. The
wealth of comment channelled through drawings,
paintings and interpreted conversation provides both
a rich legacy of the project and a clear sign that
Scotland’s 2 to 5 year olds have a lot to say.
For more information on a RIGHT wee
blether visit: www.sccyp.org.uk/whatwere-doing/a-right-wee-blether
“Hedgehogs make me smile. I like how
they sniff at me – that makes me smile.”
Look out for…
Every Day’s a Learning Day
These books have been produced by Education
Scotland to help parents support their child’s learning.
They are being distributed to parents with a new baby,
or a child aged 3 attending nursery, by the Scottish
Book Trust through their Baby and Pirate Bookbug bags.
The publications can also be accessed by following the
link below or simply scanning the QR code:
www.ltscotland.org.uk/earlyyears
/resources/everydaylearning.asp
SSSC UPDATE
The Importance of
Successful Mentoring
The Scottish Social Services
Council (SSSC) is responsible
for the strategic direction of
leadership and management
in Scotland’s Social Services.
In 2007 the SSSC published the Standard for Childhood
Practice. It underpins the BA Degree in Childhood
Practice - the qualification required by managers/lead
practitioners in day care of children services, for
registration with the SSSC, since 1 December 2011.
Recognising that effective mentoring could maximise
the success of managers undertaking the award,
the SSSC supported the Coalition of Childcare
Umbrella Organisations (CCUO) to develop Guidance
for Mentoring in Childhood Practice. This guidance
highlights different models of mentoring and provides
tools which are designed for employers to adapt for use
in their own organisations. The Guidance is available
from the SSSC website.
The SSSC was keen to build on the guidance and
commissioned a pilot mentoring programme which
supported 22 mentors and practitioners. According
to the CCUO, the commitment of childhood practice
employers in supporting participants to access the
programme was crucial. A key factor in the success
of the programme was the ability of the programme
co-ordinator in successfully building individual
relationships, identifying needs, and using this
knowledge to ensure that the matching of mentors and
practitioners was appropriate. The CCUO stated that:
“Programme monitoring is highlighting the value placed
by both practitioners and mentors on the positive
and stimulating knowledge transfer and access to
professional expertise that the mentoring relationship
is encouraging.” Growing confidence in practitioners
24 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
who have been mentored, an appreciation of lifelong
learning, and the promotion of greater professionalism
and leadership in the sector are seen as additional
benefits.
The SSSC continues to work with the day care sector
with mentoring seen as a key way of supporting
Childhood Practice. If you would like to find out more
about this project, please contact Caroline Sturgeon,
Adviser, Workforce Development and Planning at:
caroline.sturgeon@sssc.uk.com
More information on mentoring and other leadership
development activities, tools and resources can
be found at Step into Leadership, the SSSC’s new
leadership development website.
Visit Step into Leadership at:
http://workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com/
leadership
SSSC UPDATE
Preparing for the Unknown
in Childhood Practice
The Scottish Social Services
Council (SSSC) is turning to nextgeneration technology to provide
cost-effective learning opportunities
for practitioners.
With increased budget demands and the need to
do more with less, the SSSC has recently created an
online interactive tool, Childhood Practice - Practice
Simulation, within the Workforce Solutions Portal.
This simulation has been designed and developed to
present learners with a challenging scenario which will
enable them to rehearse the skills required in real-world
situations. However, the added benefit is that mistakes
made here will not have real-world consequences but
will encourage further learning.
Most qualifications in the social service sector aim
to prepare learners for the realities of practice as
best they can. This can be especially challenging
when the qualification has a strong emphasis on
making positive use of the learner’s experience in
their own workplace, as is the case with the level 9
award in Childhood Practice.
The SSSC is offering support by recognising that
some of the most challenging aspects of practice
can arise when there are multiple agencies involved.
The Childhood Practice – Practice Simulation offers
learners the chance to immerse themselves in a
practice scenario and try various approaches to
resolving the dilemmas the simulation presents.
The scenario itself was designed with fictitious
services and people. The family at the centre of the
simulation require a multi-agency response. Learners
are presented with decisions to make and the need to
react to the consequences of their decisions. Included
in the simulation is a reflective diary, which encourages
learners to record the rationale for their decisions,
identify the knowledge and values which have
influenced their decisions and also capture their
own feelings about the outcomes of their decisions.
One simulation is online now on the
Workforce Solutions Portal and can be
viewed at: http://workforcesolutions.sssc.
uk.com/PracticeSim/
A simulation developed in conjunction with the Scottish
Consortium for Learning Disability will be available soon.
INNOVATIVE SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PARENTS
Young Parents’ Support Base
Debs Blackhurst
Co-ordinator, Young Parents’ Support Base, Glasgow
Having a baby is a life-changing
experience but for those attending
Glasgow City Council’s Young
Parents’ Support Base (YPSB),
their lives have changed beyond all
recognition.
Becoming a parent at such a young age was not
the vision most of our pupils had of their future.
Some, like Olivia who had baby, Kayla, at 15, did not
have a positive vision of their future at all.
Olivia had disengaged from education and was
becoming involved in anti-social behaviour. Speaking
at a recent Education Scotland event, Olivia said:
26 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
“Having Kayla and coming to the
Base has turned my life around.”
Recognising the needs of our youngest parents,
Glasgow City Council, with support from NHS Greater
Glasgow and Clyde, Big Lottery and European Social
Fund developed the YPSB in Smithycroft Secondary
School. The multi-disciplinary team work with young
parents across Glasgow. The underlying ethos of the
Base is acknowledging the identity of young people as
parents, pupils and teenagers. The latter can often be
forgotten as the focus turns to the needs of the baby.
The YPSB Pedagogy and Curriculum Policy is based
on the national guidance Pre-Birth to Three: Positive
Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families and
while encouraging parents to remain in education,
work begins on developing a relationship between
parents and their unborn child. A variety of parenting
support techniques are used and each parent has an
individual support plan.
INNOVATIVE SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PARENTS
This pre-birth time is vital to developing parents’
awareness of their ‘bump’ as a baby and not just a
pregnancy; a key component to starting a positive
relationship between mother and baby and the
beginning of healthy attachment. It is also important
to encourage parents to be responsive to their unborn
child and to develop an awareness of how the baby is
able to respond to external stimulation such as music
or the light from a torch shone on the mum’s ‘bump’!
While the popular stereotype of teenage parents
is a negative one, I am delighted that this is not
our experience as every day the team witness
amazing connections and interactions between
parents and babies.
Support continues after the birth; only now we have
the baby in the room and not in the womb. Teenagers
are great at responding to their own needs and
usually put these ahead of everything else. While we
provide support to develop responsive care skills
in parents, we must remember they are teenagers
and our intervention has to be sensitive. Skilled staff
use modelling as a tool to encourage appropriate
interaction and care.
SCOTTISH QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY
New Higher Childcare
and Development Course
Susan Gibb
Qualifications Development Consultant, Curriculum for Excellence, SQA
The new Higher Childcare and Development course
was created as part of the Curriculum for Excellence
programme and incorporates aspects of the current
Early Education and Childcare Highers within a new,
open and flexible course. It provides opportunities
for learners to understand child development and
the roles and responsibilities of practitioners, other
professionals and parents/carers in meeting the needs
of children and young people from pre-birth to 16.
The three component units are: Child Development;
Child Development Theory and Services for Children
and Young People. The added value of the course
will be assessed by a project, based on briefs set by
SQA, which will sample and integrate knowledge and
understanding from across the component units.
As with all new Higher courses, the Childcare and
Development course will be available for delivery
from session 2015-16.
Learners will engage in a range of tasks, including
research and investigation, which will enable
them to understand how child-centred practice is
promoted in a range of settings. Active learning and
personalisation will be promoted by giving learners
opportunities to investigate a range of childcare issues
and topics.
Further details of published documents
for the new course are available on SQA’s
website at
www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/46446.html
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
A Pedagogical Documentation
Approach to Early Learning
in Angus Council
Margaret Darling
Quality Improvement Officer, Angus Council
At the beginning of session
2011-12 we launched a draft version
of Pedagogical Documentation –
An Approach to Early Learning
Policy Framework. This document
summarised how practice has
developed in Angus pre-school
establishments and how it should
continue to further develop.
This approach is the way that we have chosen
as being the best way to support the delivery of
Curriculum for Excellence. The policy framework
has been used throughout the session to guide
continuing professional development for all early years
educators and has been particularly useful in focusing
the development of our new Senior Early Years
Practitioners and their teams.
The document has been written in three sections: the
first section provides the background to the approach
and sets the context within Curriculum for Excellence;
the second is the actual policy and sets out the
principles of the approach and what this should
look like in practice; the third section links to the first
two and contains opportunities for staff to engage
in professional dialogue in their own settings. The
final published document was launched in May 2012
during a celebration evening, sharing good practice
based on the principles of the policy and Curriculum
for Excellence.
The principles which underpin our policy framework
are based on Children’s Rights and were evident in
the presentations and exhibits at the event. The key
themes which underpinned the presentations were
parental participation and children as rich, resourceful
and capable leaders of their own learning.
28 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
Sharing learning with parents was prominent in
Birkhill Primary School’s work. Two parents talked
at the celebration evening about how this approach
empowered them to become more involved with
learning and to see their own children as very
capable. A ‘Penguin Bag’ which went between
home and pre-school, encouraged parents to
ask their child about this class-shared interest
and to document what their child already knew.
Parents noted that this supported them to ask
the type of questions which encouraged their
child to show learning.
Many of the showcase presentations highlighted
how children’s voices were made audible, using
video and narrative. For example:
■ at Letham Primary School, one child’s journey
of exploration had been published in a little
book. His learning was made visible through
photographs and text, which he added himself.
Being actively involved in the process of
documenting his own learning enhanced
his self worth and confidence;
■ in Condor Playgroup, narratives were a
key part of their documentation process,
demonstrating the language skills that
children have and capturing their ideas
and theories;
■ narratives also showed the relationships
between children and between children
and adults, and how adults support children
through these interactions; and
■ Grange Pre-school Playgroup used narratives
from diaries and also video footage to ‘hear’
children. This was particularly evident in the
way the provocation for a project around
journeys stemmed from journeys that
children had previously experienced with
their families. These journeys had been
recorded throughout the year in their diaries.
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Participation was a key theme seen in all of the
presentations and exemplified by Friockheim
Playgroup and Friockheim pre-school nursery class,
who worked together on a transition project which
involved all of the children in the development of an
outdoor space. Using ‘The Mosaic Approach’ there
was consultation on many aspects of the project,
including choosing preferred designs for a mural.
The pre-school and primary 1 class at Lochside Primary
School have worked together throughout the year on
shared values and vision. This work was based on central
and in-house continuing professional development
underpinned by the policy framework. At the showcase
event, they exhibited group learning books from children
across pre-school and primary 1. This early years team
focused on listening to children, showcasing learning
groups and their power in supporting children’s own
ideas and intrinsic motivation to learn.
The celebration event highlighted the richness of
learning experiences that young children have in
Angus. It is our intention now to focus more closely
on why we document learning and to continue to
support the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence
through Pedagogical Documentation: An Approach to
Early Learning in Angus.
Discovery Dome: New Early Years
Resource from National Museums Scotland
The Discovery Dome is a new early years outreach
resource which uses play, creativity and object
investigation to explore the natural world and material
culture, inspired by the collections at the redeveloped
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
It was created in partnership with staff and pupils
from Woodlands Nursery Centre, Fife, Knightsridge
Primary school, West Lothian and the environmental
artist Karin Chipulina, funded by the Robertson Trust.
Available free to hire by any early years setting, the
Discovery Dome can be borrowed for up to 2 months
or 1 school term from January 2013. Please contact
Jane Miller on 0131 247 4435 or j.miller@nms.ac.uk
to find out more information.
029
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Go Play Outcome
and Evaluation
Framework
Marguerite Hunter Blair
Chief Executive, Play Scotland
“Investing in children’s play is one of the
most important things we can do to improve
children’s health and wellbeing in Scotland.”
Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.
Children nowadays spend a lot of their free
time indoors, inactive and isolated with their
main focus on screen-based entertainment.
The problem with this is that we now have
substantial evidence to show that children
need to play as part of their normal healthy
development.
The Scottish Government’s Go Play Outcome and
Evaluation Framework was launched in March this year.
The Framework includes a logic model for play, evidence
of the outcomes from play and case studies that showcase
the logic model in action. The model is a diagram that
describes the need that the play sector is trying to address,
what it does and how it makes a difference.
The Scottish Government is committed to improving
outcomes and children’s quality of life through play.
It launched the Go Play Fund in 2009 and works
with Inspiring Scotland to provide the basis for a
sustainable and active play sector in Scotland,
focusing on freely chosen play for 5 to 13 year olds.
30 EARLY YEARS MATTERS | AUTUMN 2012
Through play, children learn to form attachments,
negotiate, take risks and overcome obstacles.
They develop friendships and a sense of belonging
to a group. This is particularly important for children
with disabilities who tend to be the most play deprived.
Outdoor active play is crucial for good physical and
mental health and helps build an appreciation of the
environment. The value of play for children’s early
brain development and in developing language and
literacy cannot be underestimated.
The Go Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework is
a useful tool for a range of stakeholders, for example
funders can use it to understand and evaluate the
case for play; the play sector can use it to present
and articulate why play is so important for children in
Scotland; and local and national Government can use
it to understand and map the benefits of play and its
links to local and national themes and outcomes. In the
Framework, the ‘problem tree’ for play summarises the
barriers to children claiming their right to play while
the ‘model of activities and outcomes’ demonstrates
improved play opportunities having direct impacts that
lead to wider societal benefits.
Play Scotland welcomes this fantastic new resource
which is contributing to a more robust Play Sector
in Scotland.
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Melodie Crumlin, Project Manager, Possibilities East
End Kids (PEEK), tells how using the framework has
impacted on their practice.
Possibilities East End Kids (PEEK) is a community
led organisation providing free play activities in the
East End of Glasgow. PEEK received investment
from the Go Play Fund to expand their highly
successful street play programme, which now
covers 12 sites across Glasgow East and North
and engages with around 240 children, 5-13 years,
on a weekly basis.
I had the privilege of being involved in the development
of the Go Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework.
At PEEK this enabled us to develop the rationale for
our work, whilst building the capacity of staff to think
about the impact of their work from the outset.
PEEK now uses various monitoring methods to
evaluate our outcomes by assessing against key
indicators including parental questionnaires, staff
observations and case studies. Through this approach
we are able to demonstrate our impact against
outcomes as well as what worked and why, what we
would do again and what we would do differently.
For PEEK, investment through Go Play has without a
doubt made us as a fitter and stronger organisation,
clearly able to monitor, articulate and demonstrate the
impact of our work and the role of free play.
“Children playing outside contributes to
the resilience of communities in Scotland.”
Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.
To access the Go Play Outcome and
Evaluation Framework please visit:
www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/UserFiles/
Documents/GoPlayOEF.pdf
Andrew Muirhead, Chief Executive of Inspiring
Scotland explains:
“When we embarked on Go Play we wanted
to go beyond describing play as being
simply good for children. We wanted to
gain a sense of the difference play really
makes and when it is most impactful. The
Outcome and Evaluation Framework was
a tool developed with this in mind. It helps
to identify some of the barriers to play and
provides evidence of the difference play can
make to a child, family and wider community.
It also links the benefits of play to local and
national outcomes, demonstrating when play
organisations can have the most impact.”
To find out more, please visit:
www.inspiringscotland.org.uk
05
EDUCATION SCOTLAND PRESENTS…
…a new story commissioned by Education Scotland to be gifted to
all primary 1 children as part of their Bookbug Primary 1 Family Pack
this autumn.
The story has been written in Scots by Matthew Fitt, a published novelist and poet and acknowledged
expert in the field of Scots language education. The book is illustrated by Glasgow-based artist, Ross Collins.
Within the context of Curriculum for Excellence there is a renewed emphasis on learning about Scotland
and all its dimensions, across all levels of learning. Learning about Scotland helps children to develop a
sense of who they are and their place in the world. It is at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence for all
children in Scotland and includes learning about Scotland’s culture, stories, language, people and places,
past, present and future.
Exploring Scots language is an important part of this learning and Jordan’s New Jaiket has been especially
written in Scots for adults and children to read and enjoy together.
This QR code and link will take you to Parentzone where you will find
an online version of this book:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/jordansjaiket/index.asp