Early Years’ Matters
Autumn/Winter 2004
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
6
As Chief Executive of Learning and Teaching Scotland,
I am delighted to welcome you to the sixth edition of
Early Years’ Matters.
From a simple eight-page newssheet with a distribution
of around 4000 copies, Early Years’ Matters has grown to
its current 20-page size and a distribution of 12,000.
Since the publication of the first curriculum guidelines
for the early years, LT Scotland has worked tirelessly
to support the early years community in Scotland. This
newsletter is a reflection of the range of innovative and
challenging work that is taking place in early years
across Scotland today, with information about Closing
the Gap in East Ayrshire, Early Years ICT and the
forthcoming launch of national guidance Birth to Three:
supporting our youngest children, as well as whole
school and centre issues such as citizenship, enterprise
in education, Assessment is for Learning and Gaelic
medium education.
Articles about Starting Well, Bookstart and home support for parents
highlight a few of the many partnerships working successfully to give
every child in Scotland the best possible start.
LT Scotland has always kept a close eye on developments in early
education and childcare around the world and this year was delighted
to accept the invitation to present on developments in Scotland at the
EECERA 2004 conference in Malta. A report on the conference is included
in this issue.
All those involved in early education and childcare in Scotland are
ambitious for their specialist field of work. I would wish to restate LT
Scotland’s commitment to support the early years community in a range
of different ways, including providing up-to-date information on current
developments, disseminating key findings from research, contributing to
policy development and supporting practice and ongoing professional
development.
Working closely with you, I believe that we really can give every child in
Scotland the best possible start.
Bernard McLeary
In this issue …
Gaelic – a dying language?
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill
GME is high priority
‘Only the language is different’
The Craft of the Early Years Practitioner
Fàs Mòr
Basic Gaelic for Parents
Family Language Plans
Gaelic Online
The time of their lives
Closing the gap
Early intervention for all
EECERA 2004
Fifth Anniversary Celebrations for Bookstart
Sharing Lessons Learned from Starting Well
Supporting a Family
Reflections on the Scottish Learning Festival
Assessment is for Learning
Education for Citizenship
Enterprise in Education
Review of Early Years and Childcare Workforce
Pedagogy: towards a shared understanding
Software Savings
Launch of National Guidance for Birth to Three
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STOP PRESS
The Scottish Executive has published A Curriculum for Excellence which
identifies the values on which the curriculum should be based, the purpose
of the curriculum 3–18 and expected outcomes, and design principles to be
used to implement the curriculum and in the process of national reform.
The next Early Years’ Matters will carry further information.
1
Gaelic Med i u
Gaelic – a dying language? That’s not the
evidence in Scotland’s schools and centres. Gaelic
medium education (GME) has growing support from
the Lowlands to the Highlands, with the numbers
involved increasing year by year.
•
In 2003 there were 54 providers of Gaelic
medium pre-school education, two per cent of
all pre-school centres.
•
Eighteen centres are in Highland Council, 19 in
Eilean Siar (Western Isles), with the remaining
17 across 13 local authority areas.
•
Most providers are local authorities (29 centres)
and playgroups operating in the voluntary
sector (20 centres).
•
There were 1130 children involved and 149 FTE
staff providing services.
•
•
In 2003, 314 children were enrolled in Primary
1 and there were almost 2000 primary school
pupils in Gaelic medium education.
Specific grants have been increased to £3.034
million over the past five years. In addition, £0.4
million is allocated to Gaelic medium pre-school
education.
The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill
is currently under discussion in the Scottish
Parliament.
The main provisions are:
•
the establishment of the Gaelic development
body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, on a statutory basis to
oversee the development of the language
•
a requirement that the Bòrd exercise its functions
with the aim of securing the status of the Gaelic
language as an official language of Scotland
•
the introduction of a national Gaelic language
plan to promote the use of the Gaelic language
•
the preparation of Gaelic language plans
by public authorities, where appropriate, to
encourage and facilitate the use of the language
in public life
•
a Gaelic education advisory role for Bòrd na
Gàidhlig.
‘I believe this bill will leave the Gaelic language well
equipped to meet the demands of the twenty-first
century and ensure it prospers for years to come.’
Peter Peacock, Minister for Education and Young
People
2
m Education
Gaelic medium education (GME) is a high
priority in the Executive’s support for Gaelic.
The Executive’s policy document Building a
better Scotland describes the policy for Gaelic as
‘supporting Gaelic language and culture – helping to
strengthen and maintain the Gaelic community’.
Parents’ entitlement to have their children educated
in Gaelic medium education is to be established
under new measures contained in the Standards in
Schools Act 2000.
Education Minister Peter Peacock, who has
responsibility for Gaelic, has issued new guidance
and told councils they must:
•
establish the minimum level of parental demand
required to give an entitlement to Gaelic medium
education
•
inform parents of their children’s entitlement to
Gaelic
•
streamline the process for reporting
improvements in Gaelic education.
Mr Peacock said:
‘I take the advancement of Gaelic very seriously
– education is the key to ensuring the language not
only survives but thrives. At present pupil numbers
are up and we have more Gaelic medium classes
than ever before – a real success story.’
‘Only the language is different’
Many nursery classes, such as those in Fort William RC
and Mallaig primary schools in Highland Council, provide
both Gaelic medium and English medium for half of each
day. This year they both have English in the morning and
Gaelic in the afternoon.
Lilian Macdonald, Headteacher at Fort William, has seen
the Gaelic medium nursery class grow from six children
in 1996 to the current roll of 19 children, and the children
in the 2004 Primary 1 have already had two years’ Gaelic
nursery education. She explains that with totally different
staff in the morning and afternoon it is essential to plan
carefully together – not just thinking about themes but
also about display areas and responsibility for resources.
‘All-round education is the key priority and the language
develops within that priority. Balance is important and
we have to make sure that both elements are well
developed within quality provision. The children in the
Gaelic medium
‘It’s just great to hear them
classes have
the same
speaking the language,
experiences as especially those who come
other nursery
from non-Gaelic-speaking
children. Only
homes.’
the language
is different.’
Lilian agrees with Joan Smith, Headteacher of Mallaig
Primary School (where nine children attend the Gaelic
medium nursery class), that the challenges include the
availability of resources. ‘We can, and do, adapt (and
there are many books with Gaelic text pasted over
the English text) but we do need more Gaelic books
and videos. Music provision is good. However, the
main challenge is finding Gaelic-speaking staff. Filling
vacancies and finding absence cover is very difficult.’
In both schools few children come from Gaelicspeaking backgrounds. As children progress further in
primary school parents find it more difficult to help with
homework. Links with community education help meet
the large parental demand for adult classes in Gaelic.
3
G a e l i c M ediu
The Craft of the
Early Years
Practitioner – in
a Gaelic Medium
Context
Joan MacKay, HMIE, writes about Mrs C – who is
a combination of the good practitioners seen on
inspections of Gaelic medium education.
It is storytime, and Mrs C has gathered the children
around her so that they can all see the book. She
allows them time to recognise the front cover: An Croitear
by Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury. Several children
say they have ‘read’ this book themselves. She asks
them to help her tell the story. Opening to the first page
she asks them what is happening in the picture. ‘There
is a fat man in the leabaidh.’1 ‘He is eating sweets.’ ‘How
can there be a duck in the bedroom?’
‘Chaidh mi-fhein agus Dadaidh a’ choimhead air
Granaidh. Bha i na leabaidh. Cha robh i gu math’2. At
the back three boys are making duck sounds to each
other. Mrs C involves all the children in talking about
the story as they ‘read’ it and in listening to and sharing
each other’s responses. For example, she asks the
three boys to share their (very good) duck sounds with
the whole group. She then asks the children what they
think is going to happen next. She asks the children who
have ‘read’ the text whose ideas they think are best. Mrs
C goes on to read the written text. As she reads, ‘Bha
tunnag ann uaireagan a bha . . .’3 she notes one boy pick
up on the word ‘tunnag’.4 He says it to himself over and
over again, playing with the sounds within. She makes a
note to pick up on this later . . .
Throughout this
session Mrs C has
spoken in Gaelic.
Of the 11 children
in the group
one came with
Gaelic as her first
language. Others
try out their new
Gaelic vocabulary without inhibitions. Mrs C manages
to communicate effectively with each individual. She
creates opportunities for children to acquire and use
their new language. She herself models the skills
she wants the children to develop. She asks the right
questions, gives children time to think, listens to what
they say and intervenes sensitively to help them tell their
stories and use their new language, suggesting words
or phrases they can use as part of the continuous flow
of the discussion. Mrs C demonstrates her craft and is a
skilled and effective practitioner.
Points for reflection:
● How would we expect Mrs C to behave in other
contexts (beyond storytime) within the nursery?
●
Should Mrs C communicate in Gaelic exclusively?
1
Leabaidh = bed.
●
What about the other adults in the nursery?
2
Daddy and I went to see Granny. She was in
●
One child appears to have slower overall language
development than the rest. What should Mrs C do to
support this child?
●
What are the challenges for early years practitioners
who are involved with second language learning?
1
bed. She wasn’t well.
4
3
There was once a duck who was . . .
4
Tunnag = duck.
m Ed u c a t i o n
Fàs Mòr
Fàs Mòr (Growing Up) is an innovative community
project in South Skye which provides a safe and
stimulating Gaelic environment and aims to meet the
growing demand for childcare facilities in the area.
Bright, airy, well equipped, purpose-built portacabins
currently provide all-day care for children under 3, before
and after nursery care for children aged 3 and 4, and
out-of-school care
for primary pupils.
It will be relocated
to permanent
premises at a later
date. Fàs Mòr
caters for students
and employees of
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig,
the Gaelic College,
and the local community. Just as in the nursery classes
on the mainland, a minority of the children attending
come from Gaelic-speaking homes and the parents are
learning the language at the same time as their children.
Basic Gaelic for Parents
A handbook in Gaelic for parents whose children
are learning Gaelic in playgroup or primary school
can be found on the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig website
www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/ionnsachadh/bgfp
(Gaelic Online)
gàidhlig air-loidhne aims to create an easily
accessible online community whereby staff involved
in Gaelic education can come together to collaborate
and share good practice. With Gaelic education
taking place right across Scotland, the importance of
establishing links between practitioners is vital.
The site aims to provide a well stocked resource
area containing materials that can be downloaded
and used with children. Gaelic managers and
headteachers will also be able to download policies
and programmes of work that can be shared within
their schools and establishments.
Another feature of the site is the forums, where ideas
can be shared and assistance and advice sought
on any matter to do with Gaelic education. As these
lines of communication expand and the level of
participation increases, more support networks
will be created to assist staff in all areas of the
curriculum.
It is intended that teachers will also have the
opportunity to contribute towards their continuing
professional development by participating in the
online sharing of resources and by developing their
own personal skills in areas that they feel need
improving, such as grammar.
www.LTScotland.org.uk/gaidhlig
Family Language Plans
Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Àraich (CNSA) has funding to
develop Family Language Plans in Skye and Lochalsh,
Lochaber, Inverness and Nairn and the Western Isles.
The aim is to identify expectant parents and those with
children under 1 year old and set up Gaelic learning
courses in their homes using trained tutors to coach
children and their parents using methods pioneered in
New Zealand and Hawaii. For further information please
contact Finlay M Macleoid, Chief Executive, CNSA,
01463 225469.
Dual language,
English and Gaelic, is
used on many signs
5
The time of their lives …
Helen Fraser, Honorary Fellow, The University of Edinburgh, asks us to look again at provision for 3 to 7-year-olds
Early education has come a long way in the last 20 years
with much extended provision for our youngest children.
However, as these children progress through the system,
I would argue that we have taken our eyes off the ball.
The experiences of pre-school, Primary 1 and Primary 2
children are drifting out of touch.
No new discovery
There has been no new discovery that contradicts the
position that learning up to the age of 7 years is a stage
in its own right. Its distinctiveness lies in the kind of
learning environment and approach most suited to it.
There is a consensus in the literature that children do
not begin to benefit
from systematic
teaching until
about 6 or 7 years
of age. Pre-school
and early primary
practitioners seem
to be striving
too hard to have
children reach
formal learning
goals when
these could be achieved much more quickly toward
the end of the second year in school. Emphasis on
specific knowledge and skills in pre-school and in early
primary sometimes appears to bring forward measured
attainment, but many experienced educators of young
children are uneasy about this, and the evidence is
overwhelming that they are right to be so.
Take a fresh look
I would argue that we need a re-invigorated pedagogy
for 3–7-year-olds. The early primary experience has to
be seen as the top end of an early education, not the
bottom end of the next stage. However, it is not simply
a question of extending good pre-school practice –
although a fair start for more children would mean more
of them spending longer there than they currently do.
Nor is it enough to call for more play and activity-based
learning, although this is also true. We need to take a
fresh look at the whole picture.
Let us ask ourselves such questions as:
●
What situations allow children to come to slower and
deeper understandings of basic concepts? Is there
time for children to talk ideas through purposefully?
What learning experiences make for enthusiasm and
enquiring minds? What about concentration and
persistence?
●
What kind of day is ideal? What balance between
sitting and movement; between adult-directed
and self-directed activities; between indoors and
outdoors? How
should this look for
the different age
groupings?
● How can
activities involve
initiative and choice
and bring in all of
the rich range of
intelligences and
individuality of
approaches? How
can learning to read, write and count be more
embedded in informal situations and real tasks?
Lost opportunities
Providing for well-rooted understanding needs a
balanced mix: motivation and enjoyment; opportunity
and encouragement; individual self-direction and
appropriate, timely teaching; confident social exchange
and quiet concentration and persistence. These are
at the heart of early learning. No one of these is more
important than any other. However, in trying to speed up
basic skills and include other school ‘subjects’ as soon
as possible, there is little likelihood of a truly balanced
diet of experiences. Thus, in striving for early academic
‘performances’, opportunities are lost to advance the
full potential of these young learners. Worse, there is the
likelihood of real damage to confidence, resilience, and
that ‘can-do’ attitude known to be vital to success in their
future lives.
6
●
How can more real responsibilities be created,
with genuine child involvement? How can this be
matched to age? Can 7-year-olds have a greater
chance of enjoying their competence by being more
involved, and taking a greater part in guiding and
inspiring younger ones?
Whatever questions we choose, we need to have the
debate. We need to be brave and imaginative. We need
to promote what we know to be true.
Closing the Gap (and making it fun!)
One area that shares Helen Fraser’s concerns is East Ayrshire, where an early intervention programme called Closing
the Gap is being rolled out. The teachers are deliberately working to the Curriculum Framework for Children 3–5 as the
children start Primary 1 – and finding they are enjoying teaching again.
Curriculum flexibility is the key
Mai Lawrence, Headteacher of New Farm Primary
School, has no doubts of the value of this new approach.
‘The children are happier. They are skipping into school.
Parents are also happier. Yes, they were worried initially
but they see how the children are thriving. And the
teachers are happier. We have re-empowered them,
given them time to observe the children closely, time to
reflect on these observations and on their practice and
time to tailor their teaching
‘It’s great. Now I can
to meet the needs of the
go with the flow. It’s
children, and given them the
fascinating to watch
courage to speak out about
the children play. I
what they believe. We had
have time to enjoy
talked about child-centred
learning but were not putting it them playing.’
into practice. Now we are – by
taking a much more flexible
approach to the curriculum. This means teachers have
time to get to know the children and ensure they are
really at the centre of all we plan and do. If we believe
teachers are professionals with the judgement to make
decisions for the children in front of them we must allow
them the flexibility to reflect and respond to the needs of
these children.’
‘We looked at planning. The features of learning in the
Curriculum Framework for Children 3–5 lead to the same
learning outcomes as Level A in the 5–14 programme:
3–5 and 5–14 dovetail. This realisation plus lots of
looking at our use of space and layout of resources,
added to the availability of flexibility in the curriculum,
was the key. Attitudes all round are much more positive.’
Nursery nurse support was available one day per
week; the project had to be able to be replicated within
available resources.
Teachers asked to be involved
Joining the project is Onthank Primary School. Why?
Steve Banks, Headteacher, says, ‘Because the primary
teachers heard about the pilot, met staff involved and
came to me saying, “We want to be involved in this.”
The transition from nursery to Primary 1, from a play
approach to a formal approach to learning, should be
easier, smoother, not such a jump.’ Now the school plans
to exchange teachers with the local nursery school both
to work with future and past pupils and to exchange
information about approaches to planning and tracking
children’s development.
‘Have a go’ attitude
The Primary 1 teachers acknowledge they are relearning
the importance of play with a purpose: ‘We are still
covering the curriculum but
‘The children organise
in a more relaxed way than
themselves more
before. If someone brings
– they’re much easier
in a bird’s nest I don’t feel
to work with.’
guilty stopping and talking
about it and building more
work around that.’ Previously the teachers led the work;
now the children’s interests are leading the curriculum.
‘We’re not asking them to do things they can’t do.
Previously we were asking 4-year-olds to do too much.
In the past the children would say, “I can’t do that”; now
they are willing to try.’
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
7
Early intervention for all: back to basics?
Louise Hayward and Nicki Hedge, University of Glasgow, Researchers from the Closing the Gap project
Across Scotland, early intervention has had many successes but one unexpected outcome in many education authorities
has been the emergence of a gap: for a small but significant number of children early intervention appeared to be
having little impact and the achievement gap between them and their peers was growing. East Ayrshire Council had
been astonished to discover from their baseline data that this gap existed even in schools recognised as good schools
in recent HMI inspections. In 2002, the Council initiated a research project that began as a nurture group initiative and
quickly moved to a collaborative action research project. Closing the Gap sought to explore why the gap existed and
how researchers, policy makers and practitioners might work together to offer better chances for all children in East
Ayrshire.
A new climate
At the start of the project,
teachers and headteachers,
researchers and policy
makers were committed
to the view that early
intervention and attempts
Louise Hayward
to close the gap between
children at risk and children succeeding was a
complicated business. If there were to be any possibility
of deepening our understanding of what was happening
and of making positive changes then we were agreed
that this would only come about through everyone
involved working together. By the end of the project there
was evidence that levels of teacher motivation and pupil
engagement were higher, as were levels of enjoyment
amongst teachers and learners. Teachers suggested
they now believed that all children could succeed; that
positive change was possible and practicable. Teachers
reported far fewer examples of learners saying ‘I can’t
. . .’, providing, instead, examples of children having
achieved as much if not more than previous classes,
but now this was true for all children. Parents spoke of
their pleasure at their children’s progress. There was
a new climate of optimism and self-confidence in the
schools.
Commitment to collaboration
In recent years it seems as if Scottish education has
been littered with examples of innovation with little
real change. What was different about this project?
We acknowledge that the number of schools involved
was very small and make no claims for generalised
implications but we believe there are issues emerging
that are worthy of reflection. At the heart of the project
was a commitment to collaboration that would start
from ‘where the teachers are’ (Swann and Brown,
1987). In the early stages, researchers, teachers
and policy makers were in very different places. As
researchers, we were aware that there were very real
8
gaps between research evidence
and practice and were keen to
avoid traditional models of staff
development in which research
evidence is used to tell teachers
what to do: an approach that has
had little impact on practice.
Nicki Hedge
Time and space to think
The project began by creating spaces to think. Early
discussion yielded real problems. Teachers described
themselves as feeling trapped by a curriculum they
believed to be too prescriptive (‘I had stopped thinking
. . . I just followed guidelines’); obliged to drive children
though a curriculum rather than building from and
extending their existing capabilities; forced to have
children engage in very formal activities (‘He could
hardly hold the pencil, his hand was like a bunch of
bananas and I was asking him to write letters.’). They felt
they had no time to explore issues
arising from classroom interaction
(‘I didn’t care if it was snowing
outside – that wasn’t in my forward
plan’); that their professional
judgement was little valued and
their professionalism subject to
constant scrutiny (‘I’ve got to the
stage now I say just tell me what to
do and I’ll do it.’).
Together, the group began to ask
hard questions. For example:
•
what did the Government’s
assessment policy in Scotland
really ask of teachers?
•
what would HMIE really expect
to be going on in classrooms?
•
what would parents really think if their child didn’t
have a reading book by the end of the first week in
Primary 1?
•
what would we really do to support children’s
learning if free to do so?
In this project we were all learners: researchers, policy
makers, teachers and children. Together, with insights
from research, policy and practice, we devised ways
of encouraging a closer relationship between the way
we wanted learning to be and the way learning was.
As changes emerged we worked to understand their
development and impact. Each school worked in
different ways although every school had paid attention
to certain overlapping key areas.
Confidence to change
Teachers and pupils having the confidence to change
was a key theme in each school. Teachers suggested
that feelings of greater empowerment, enjoyment and
confidence enhanced their motivation. ‘We knew what
we were doing was wrong. We knew we wanted to
change. We weren’t quite brave enough on our own –
that’s what this project’s all about.’ The changes to more
flexible approaches to learning and teaching adopted
in all project classrooms were supported by changes
in management, at varying levels in the system. This
included the local authority, headteachers and, within
classrooms, changes in classroom management.
Sense of purpose
In reporting this project, newspapers suggested that
this was a project about play, as if what was happening
in East Ayrshire was an alternative to raising standards.
Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a project
that is centrally concerned to raise achievement, but
to do so for all learners. Learners learn best when they
are confident, when they believe they can learn, know
what, why and how to learn, when they have a sense
of purpose and when learning is as close to real life as
possible. Very formal, artificial learning is alien to many
young children, who are naturally playful learners.
Closing the Gap is perceived by those within the project
to have had real successes. No ‘new’ approaches to
learning and teaching emerged from this project, neither
did it rely on any ‘new’ action research approach. We
were agreed that not one us had the answers, not
one of us was sure what changes should be made
and, critically, every one of us had the humility to work
together in a high-risk but ultimately collaborative,
supportive team.
Find gentler ways
The approach taken has much in common with the
Assessment is for Learning programme. If projects
like these are to be ‘grown’ successfully, they will be
grounded in these basics: the conditions, dynamics and
processes. Arguably we have become accustomed to
believing in the need for ever more complex solutions
to ever more complex problems. Emerging evidence
from this project suggests that there may be a need to
get back to basics, to find gentler ways of encouraging
learning communities where children, teachers,
researchers and policy makers can work together to offer
better life chances for all.
Thanks to the children of Primary 1, New Farm Primary School,
Kilmarnock for the photographs
9
The European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
provides an interdisciplinary forum, aimed at bringing together researchers, policy makers and the professional
community, to look at services for children from birth to 8 and their families. Twice yearly, the European Early Childhood
Education Research Journal is published, to share research and developments in the early years, and each year
EECERA holds its national conference, choosing locations from across Europe.
At the beginning of September 2004 the 14th Annual EECERA Conference took place in Qawra, St Paul’s Bay, Malta,
with around 350 delegates from 31 countries attending. Visit www.eecera2004.org for more information including all the
keynote speeches, photos and a note of the symposium sessions.
The central theme of the conference was Quality
Curricula: The Influence of Research and Praxis, with
a range of issues being covered, including Equity
and Access; Cognition and Metacognition; Learning
Experiences and Areas of Learning; Professional
Development and Training; Working with Parents; Transition,
Continuity and Progression; Quality Assurance and
Evaluation, and many others.
Eileen Carmichael and Juliet Hancock both presented
symposium papers for Learning and Teaching Scotland,
on developing an online resource to support professional
development, and on the collaborative nature of
producing national guidance for birth to 3 in Scotland.
Both Eileen and Juliet were pleased that the work of
Learning and Teaching Scotland was of interest to others
and were also inspired by the many thought-provoking
examples of work being
taken forward elsewhere in
the world, many of which
are relevant to current
developments in early
years in Scotland.
Striking at this year’s
conference were the
commonalities and similar
issues being discussed,
from as far afield as New Zealand, the United States, and
Singapore as well as in Europe. How to best care for
our youngest children, talking about quality, developing
curricular guidelines, consulting with and listening to
children, and pedagogical approaches all featured in
symposium sessions, keynote speeches and informal
discussion.
Keynote presentations
The keynote presentations raised many important issues
for services for children and families and considered the
viewpoints of many, including, significantly, the views of
children themselves .
Carmel Borg of the University of Malta warmly welcomed
delegates to the conference and gave an insight
into early childhood education in Malta, rooted in a
10
commitment to democracy and social justice. Pamela
Oberhuemer from the State Institute of Early Childhood
Education and Research, Munich, looked at professional
training and development, asking the audience to
consider what their guiding conceptualisations of early
childhood pedagogues were, and urging policy makers
to see early childhood professionals as both ‘vital and
valued’. John Bennet, OECD Director for Education,
Paris, took curriculum issues in national policy making
as his theme. He also touched upon pedagogical
approaches and our different traditions and different
conceptions of early childhood, stressing the importance
of interaction between adults and children, and between
children and their peers.
Kathy Sylva of Oxford University, one of the leaders of
the DfES research on Effective Provision of Pre-school
Education (EPPE), used her
keynote speech to talk about
the evidence from the EPPE
project in connection with
making a real difference to
the lives of young children.
She examined issues of
quality, and concluded by
suggesting that one of the
most important ‘take-home’
messages from the research
is that pre-school education can make a difference for
children likely to need additional support. Excellent video
footage to engage delegates in reflection about children,
their richness and potential was used by Ferre Laevers,
University of Leuven, who looked at the question of
the role of the curriculum in improving quality in early
childhood education. These video clips can be seen as a
part of Ferre Laevers’ keynote, available on the EECERA
2004 website.
‘Pink fluffy slippers’
On the last day of the conference, Margaret Carr of the
University of Waikato, New Zealand, one of the writers
of Te Whariki, New Zealand’s national early childhood
curriculum, treated conference delegates to a keynote
which began with a traditional Maori lullaby, Kei tua o
Fifth
Anniversary
Celebrations
for Bookstart in
Scotland
Bookstart, the first national
baby book-gifting scheme
in the world, celebrated its
fifth anniversary on Friday 8
October with National Bookstart Day celebrations up
and down the country. The Bookstart bears came to
life and a giant Bookstart bear and his baby visited
Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to join in a very special
rhymetime at Scottish Book Trust. Thirty parents and
their babies came along to recite traditional rhymes and
take part in the ‘six rhymes for Bookstart Day’ which saw
people from the Highlands to Devon reciting the same
six rhymes at 11 a.m. All babies got a free book to take
away from the Edinburgh event and a piece of birthday
cake too!
A bag for every baby
Bookstart works with libraries, health professionals, Sure
Start and early years providers. A Bookstart bag of free
books and guidance materials has been available for
every baby in the Scotland and the UK since 1999. This
bag is usually gifted in the baby’s first year, generally at
the eight-month health check, to introduce children to
books from a very early age. Supported by the Scottish
Executive since 2001, and 20 publishers and Red House
Books since 1992, Bookstart is viewed by many as the
foundation for early learning in their authority.
In addition to the continued support for the Bookstart
baby bag, the Scottish Executive is considering funding
te pae (Beyond the horizon). The presentation, entitled
Actual and Possible Selves, reminded delegates of the
circular process of pedagogy and the range of ways in
which children make sense of the world. She captivated
her audience by recounting the tale of the ‘pink fluffy
slippers’, urging delegates to recognise children’s
success as learners. In the words of the mother of the
child who had produced the slippers:
‘…the slippers he made for me were unbelievable in
terms of thoughtfulness and technical perfection for
a little child. I am also very, very thankful to all the
teachers for helping him to be what he is today and
what he would become tomorrow.’
the Bookstart Plus toddler bag (usually gifted at 18
months by health visitors or librarians), and My Bookstart
Treasure Box for 3–4-year-olds (usually gifted during the
first nursery year). These packs are currently available for
local authorities to buy, but due to budget constraints not
all can afford to do so. These three intervention points will
provide a very coherent and progressive development of
the Bookstart programme, free to all children in Scotland
from birth to nursery school. (In England funding has
been secured for the three-year period and for all three
intervention points of Bookstart, Bookstart Plus and My
Bookstart Treasure Box.)
Significant impact
Part of Bookstart’s success lies in the fact that the project
encourages parents to see themselves as their child’s
first and most
enduring teacher.
Indeed research by
Wade and Moore in
1995 (http://www.
bookstart.co.uk/
general/research/
birmingham.html)
found that Bookstart
has a significant
impact upon
learning readiness
and that Bookstart
children begin
school with a head
start in learning.
If you would like further information about Bookstart
in Scotland, please contact the National Coordinator,
Caroline McLeod, on 0131 556 7990, or e-mail
Carolinemcleod@dsl.pipex.com. Or log on to www.
bookstart.co.uk.
Finally, an important feature of such events is the ‘off
duty’ time which is so useful for networking, developing
new links and hearing about the work of others. The
conference organisers in Malta put in a great deal of time
and effort to ensure that delegates had an enjoyable,
stimulating experience and could return home having
met up with old colleagues and made new contacts.
Next year’s EECERA conference will be held in Dublin,
jointly organised by EECERA, IPPA, the Early Childhood
Organisation, and St Patrick’s College. The theme for
the 2005 conference will be Young Children as Citizens:
Identity, Belonging, Participation. For full details go to
www.eecera2005.org.
11
Sharing
Lessons
Learned from
Starting Well
and Other Early
Years Services
Following publication in 1999 of the White Paper on
Public Health, Towards a Healthier Scotland, four national
demonstration projects were funded by the Scottish
Executive. These projects all blend evidence-based
practice with steps that break new ground. Intended to
be test beds for action, the projects are recognised and
valued by the Scottish Executive for their potential as
sources of learning for the rest of Scotland.
Starting Well is the national demonstration project for
child health. Launched in 2000, for an initial three-year
period (Phase One), Starting Well aimed to demonstrate
that child health in Glasgow can be improved by a
programme of activities that both supports families and
provides them with access to enhanced communitybased resources. Starting Well is supported by the
Early Years National Learning Network – a network
funded by the Scottish Executive in order to disseminate
lessons learned from the project and other early years
developments.
Following the Project’s completion of this first phase,
and during its transition phase (a one-year period that
involved a process of reflecting on and consolidating
lessons learned), attention turned to how lessons
learned could be shared and discussed at a national
level.
National roadshows
One key strand to this dissemination activity was the
development of a series of ‘roadshows’ – essentially
eight linked conferences that were staged across
Scotland over the spring and summer 2004. The
purpose of these one-day events was to share lessons
12
Dr Trevor Lakey, Health Promotion Manager, Greater Glasgow
National Health Service Board, speaking at the Orkney
Roadshow
learned from Starting Well, discussing these with policy
makers and practitioners in light of their respective
service developments. Importantly, these roadshows
also provided opportunities for members of the Starting
Well team to learn of innovative work on the early years
in other parts of the country. Thus the exchange of
experience and ideas was two-way.
The first of these events was held at the end of April in
Erskine. The Western Isles main event in Stornoway
a couple of weeks later was oversubscribed, with the
venue bursting at the seams as over 50 turned up. A
parallel event for the Western Isles held in Benbecula
was enjoyed by a further 10. The following week the
Orkney event took place and was attended by over 60. It
was then back to the mainland for four more roadshows
in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Kilmarnock. Over
800 people attended in total.
The discussions that took place at each event have been
distilled and written up in a full report. You can view
this by visiting the website of the Early Years National
Learning Network:
www.phis.org.uk/projects/default.asp?p=FAH
Jacki Gordon
Coordinator
Early Years National Learning Network
NHS Health Scotland
Supporting a Family
Diane Lowrie, Family Support
Worker, Scottish Spina Bifida
Association
Jake had proposed to
young Gina and was
being interviewed by his
prospective father-in-law.
Focus on early years
My involvement with families who have a child under the
age of 5 tends to focus on three main areas:
Education
●
Providing information on and explanation of their
rights and responsibilities
●
Helping them understand and navigate the Record
of Needs process and acting as Named Person if
requested
●
Translating educational jargon
●
Advocating on their behalf when necessary
‘Think carefully now,’ said Gina’s father, ‘there
are 12 of us . . .’
●
Helping them to explore all the options open to
them.
I know how Jake feels! Let me explain. My name is Diane
Lowrie and I am a family support worker with the Scottish
Spina Bifida Association. I am currently working on the
Family Support project, which uses the Scottish Spina
Bifida Association’s Family Support Service model as a
basis for providing a family support service for children in
Scotland with a motor impairment such as cerebral palsy
or an allied disorder.
Benefits
Overview
●
Providing emotional and practical support in the
families’ interaction with medical professionals
●
Helping families access quality information on their
child’s diagnosis
●
Putting families in touch with one another for mutual
support, guidance and information sharing
●
Keeping families up to date with changes in law
relating to their circumstances.
‘Do you think you are
earning enough to support a family?’ the older
man asked the suitor.
‘Yes, sir,’ replied Jake, ‘I’m sure I am.’
The project offers an independent service which aims to
provide information to families and support them in their
efforts to secure appropriate services for their children. I
assist parents and carers in ensuring that their views and
feelings (and the views of the young people themselves,
where appropriate) are considered when important
decisions are being made regarding their child’s
welfare. I support and encourage families to look at all
the relevant options and services available to them, to
enable them to make informed choices prior to making
decisions about their own and their children’s lives.
In general
Like Jake, I learned very quickly that families come in
all shapes and sizes and in order for family support to
be truly effective, the support must extend to wherever
it is needed within the family unit. For example, with one
family I may be supporting a parent at a multi-disciplinary
team meeting and in another, helping a grandmother to
source accessible toys for her grandchild’s birthday.
●
Providing practical and emotional support during
the harrowing process of filling in a Disability Living
Allowance form
●
Ensuring families are receiving all benefits relevant
to their circumstances.
Information and peer support
Finally
As you can imagine, supporting families through
traumatic times, difficult circumstances and frustrating
delays in services, equipment, decisions, etc. can be
tough. However, the privilege and joy of getting to know
so many wonderful children, young people and their
families is immeasurable and more than makes up for
any downside.
In all my interaction with families, I am constantly mindful
of my main purpose, which is to empower families to be
in control of the direction their lives are taking.
My involvement with families covers all areas of life
– health, education, social work, benefits, employment,
housing, equipment, trust applications, fact finding and
advocating on families’ behalf, to name a few!
13
Reflections on the Scottish Learning Festival
Mairi R MacColl, Early Education Coordinator Teacher, Highland Council
SETT 2004, with its impressive selection of seminars,
exhibitions and activities, was certainly an exhilarating,
thought-provoking if exhausting experience for me as
a first-time visitor to this annual learning and teaching
event. From the offset, the key message from the
opening Spotlight Session by John and Iram SirajBlatchford of ‘getting it right from the bottom up’ was
certainly evidenced in the related seminars over the two
days of the event.
A range of early years staff from throughout the country
had volunteered to present on a variety of ICT currently
in place within their respective establishments. Clearly,
ICT is being effectively integrated into our 3–5 curricular
programmes to enhance learning in a variety of play
contexts and activities.
Crashing trolleys
Opportunities to build on the many everyday
technological experiences which our children bring to
nursery are being fed into plans at Johnstone Nursery
School, for example, where the children’s awareness
of environmental ICT was heightened during a visit to
a supermarket and library. Sounds such as ‘trolleys
crashing’ and ‘chilling facilities’ were recorded by the
children during the visit, and observations of shopping
being scanned through barcodes, photo-booth facilities
or automatic doors all stimulated adult–child interactions.
Cause and effect, for example, were being explored by
the children observing their body making something
happen, and in turn, these experiences inevitably
impacted on imaginative role play back in the playroom.
Similarly, observations of seasonal changes were
14
facilitated by the children’s use of the digital camera to
record and make their very own ‘personalised’ weather
chart. Yes, the examples of ICT adding value to what
happens in the playroom were amazing – and no
mention of ‘the box’ yet!
Valuing opinions
Pedagogic integration was again evidenced in the
effective use of digital images taken by young children at
Glenwood Nursery School to recall previous experiences
and then go on to use these images as a basis for
discussions and decision making. To see 3- and 4-yearolds voting appropriately and enthusiastically by the
show of a hand for their favourite item for inclusion in
their outdoor play area was demonstrating an early start
to citizenship. An awareness of ‘fairness’ and ‘valuing
opinions’ was being effectively modelled and nurtured
within this early years setting, with the children being
actively involved in a meaningful context throughout the
process – facilitated by ICT!
I’ll be
returning
next year
for further
inspiration
from our many
excellent
practitioners
at the
‘chalkface’.
Thank you for
sharing your
experiences.
Assessment is for
Learning
The national
Assessment is for
Learning (AifL)
programme was
established in
2002 with the aim
of providing a
streamlined and
coherent system
of assessment that
will ensure that
pupils, parents,
teachers and other
professionals
have the feedback
they need about
pupils’ learning and
development needs.
●
Developing formative assessment practice in order
to build pupils’ confidence and self-esteem and
thereby encourage their participation in lessons
●
Developing a personal learning planning process
which can help pupils’ learning and support effective
partnership between key worker/teacher, child and
parent
●
Using personal learning planning to support the
transition to primary, providing the Primary 1 teacher
with detailed information on the attainment and
development of incoming pupils from the nursery
school.
A recent pilot project looked specifically at using a crosscutting skills approach to personal learning planning in
early years and Primary 1.
Paul Ireland, Development Officer
The initial
development phase involved 200 schools and 500
teachers and early years practitioners throughout
Scotland in a programme of action research. This
programme is now being extended and developed by
local authorities, who are working with groups of schools
and centres.
In particular, many establishments are now seeking to
develop personal learning planning out of formative
assessment, which is becoming increasingly embedded
in educational practice across the country. Local
authorities are continuing to foster cross-sectoral
collaboration, and are further extending this to support
subject teachers working together and sharing the
standard.
Assessment and early years
A number of nursery schools and other early years
establishments have taken part in the AifL programme to
date. Some of the areas of focus include:
You can read more about this work on the Assessment
Online Toolkit.
The Assessment Online Toolkit
September 2004 saw the launch of a new web resource
based around the thoughts, ideas and strategies of the
staff who took part in Phase 1 of the programme. You
can visit this ‘online toolkit’ at www.LTScotland.org.
uk/assess
The toolkit is aimed primarily at Scottish educational
establishments but will also be of interest to local
authorities, researchers, trainee teachers, parents and
pupils. It will be a dynamic resource which will evolve
and develop as the programme progresses.
Are you working on an assessment-related project?
Perhaps you are involved with an AifL initiative in your
own authority?
If you think your work might be of interest to other
practitioners, and could contribute to the toolkit, please
let us know by e-mailing
AssessmentContentEditor@LTScotland.org.uk
www.LTScotland.org.uk/assess
15
15
Education for
Citizenship
Education for Citizenship in Scotland was published
by LT Scotland in 2002. It provides the framework
for review and development of education for
citizenship for all children and young people aged
3–18 in early education settings and schools.
It calls for the development in all young people
of capability for thoughtful and responsible
participation in political, economic, social and
cultural life. It recognises that many of these
capabilities are best learnt experientially and
emphasises the importance of treating young
people as ‘citizens of today rather than citizens
in waiting’. To that end it recommends schools
and early education settings build on existing
curricular opportunities to raise young people’s
social awareness, and to develop opportunities for
participation in community life, including increased
opportunity to take on responsibility and to share in
decision making within nursery and school settings.
Children’s views
Stirling Council’s policy commitment to
listening to and valuing young people’s
views is reflected at all stages of
learning, including early education. For
instance, at Park Drive Nursery 3–5year-olds are encouraged to identify
areas of the nursery that they like and
dislike, and also areas where they would
like to have adult support. At Croftamie
Nursery, small children are involved in
planning and recalling their nursery day,
and in evaluating and changing their
nursery environment and outdoor area.
In the words of the head: ‘The benefits
have been many. In particular, it has
given us a sense of belonging within the
community, and a greater understanding
of each other, children, parents, staff
and community.’
Learning to express yourself
Falkirk Council’s day nurseries are
linked in a project that aims to
encourage children’s development
by involving them in expressive arts
activities. The project has yielded
evidence of very young children’s
ability to communicate effectively
using expressive arts, with particular
benefits noticeable amongst some
children with special needs.
The contribution of early education to this is an
important one in developing and broadening
children’s learning experiences, and establishing
the values and expectations on which thoughtful
and responsible participation is built. Education
for citizenship builds on the guiding principles of
A Curriculum Framework for Children 3–5 (Scottish
CCC, 1999) and commends examples of work to
encourage young children to discuss and voice
their opinion about a range of issues, such as
the nursery environment or rules of behaviour,
and the use of expressive arts in some settings to
encourage children to express their feelings, ideas
and theories about the world around them.
Materials to support audit of existing early years
practice have been prepared by Learning and
Teaching Scotland, and can be accessed at www.
LTScotland.org.uk/citizenship/planning.
Case studies
Case studies can be accessed at www.LTScotland.
org.uk/citizenship/practice
Christine Twine, Development Officer
16
Enterprise in
Education
The Scottish Executive published Determined to
Succeed: A Review of Enterprise in Education in
December 2002 and in March 2003 allocated £40
million to support the review’s
recommendations from
2003–2006. In June 2004, a
further report, Determined to
Succeed – One Year On, was
produced, which reviews the
first year’s work in implementing
Determined to Succeed. The
Scottish Executive’s Determined
Michèle Donohoe,
to Succeed website www.
Principal Education
determinedtosucceed.co.uk
Officer
provides information and
practical resources for practitioners, businesses and
local authorities.
Stirling Council is keen to introduce enterprise
activities as part of the 3–5 curriculum,
developing partnerships across the public and
private sectors and with the local community.
At East Plean Nursery Class, following a
Care Commission inspection, the need to
improve the quality of the physical learning
environment was identified and staff recognised
the opportunity to involve the children in
authentic enterprise activities as well as
developing thinking skills and creativity. The
staff used the project to develop language
and communication skills through discussion.
Encouraging the children to generate ideas
and illustrate them through artwork fostered
creativity. The children developed ICT skills
by using digital cameras throughout the
project. Financial education was introduced
by discussions about budgets, costing and
expenditure. Every child contributed to the
exercise of drawing up health and safety risk
assessments. The overall emphasis was on
planning learning in response to pupils’ ideas
and involving the children in all aspects of the
project.
Encouraging enterprising values – a ‘can do, will
do’ attitude – in our schoolchildren is not just about
producing the business people and entrepreneurs
of tomorrow. It is the route to a more enterprising
Scotland, where all our people understand the
contribution they can make as citizens, both to
society and the economy. And where individuals
have the self-confidence and belief in their ability to
succeed in whatever they choose.
From the ministerial foreword to the Scottish
Executive Response to Determined to Succeed.
All classes at St John’s Primary School in
East Renfrewshire, along with parents, business
partners and the wider community, were
involved in all stages of the planning, monitoring
and review of its Eco-Project, designing and
establishing an area for recreation and wildlife
within the playground. Mini projects on water,
waste minimisation and recycling developed
too. As well as working with and learning about
a wide range of occupations such as garden
designer, architect and botanist, the children
bought and sold seeds, worked in partnership
with a range of agencies, learned about projects
abroad and developed skills in communication,
decision making and team building.
Following the national debate on the future of education
in Scotland we await the outcome of the 3–18
curriculum review. Enterprise in education supports
the development of innovative learning and teaching
approaches, reflection on the appropriateness of
learning environments and the enhancement of inclusion
and partnership. It is applicable to every stage in
education.
Learning and Teaching Scotland is managing a project
to provide support and guidance for local authorities,
early years
establishments
and schools
for enterprise
in education.
Later this year
a national
guidance
document and
a paper for
professional
reflection for
practitioners will
be produced.
Please e-mail Michèle Donohoe at
me.donohoe@LTScotland.org.uk for further
information.
17
Review of Early Years and
Childcare Workforce
Through the National Review of the Early Years and
Childcare Workforce the Scottish Executive is committed
to ensuring that the employment opportunities for
workers in the sector are improved and that the status
of the sector is raised. The Review will look at five key
areas:
•
Examining and defining the role and responsibilities
of staff in all areas of the early years and childcare
workforce
•
Improving workforce planning, to ensure that there
are adequate staff numbers in each area
•
Simplifying and modernising the early years and
childcare qualifications system
•
Providing greater opportunities for staff in one area
of the workforce to move to another
•
Considering the potential implications of this work
for pay and conditions.
The Scottish Executive has set up a website to
provide information about the progress of the Review.
Information about the work of the Steering Group,
representing key stakeholders in the early years and
childcare sector, and its remit can be found on
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/
Early-Education-Child-Care/EarlyYearsReview/intro
Have you
seen the
Guide to
Learning and
Teaching
Scotland?
This newly published guide provides a
taste of the work LT Scotland is taking
forward and provides information about the
appropriate contacts for questions about
particular topics or aspects of education.
For a copy please contact Customer
Services, tel.: 08700 100 297, or e-mail:
enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk
Co
mi
Pedagogy: towards a shared understanding for the early years
Within Learning and Teaching Scotland work has been
taking place on a draft paper which looks at the theory
and practice of learning, teaching and development in
early childhood education in Scotland. Although we
might not yet be using the term pedagogy to describe
what we do, we are all working to a pedagogical base.
18
ng
so
on
Through discussion, we are hoping to explore and
share our understandings of learning, teaching
and development and sharpen our perceptions of
pedagogy . . . watch this space for further information
on this exciting area of work, in the spring 2005 edition
of Early Years’ Matters.
Did you know local authority and partner pre-school providers have been sent a single user copy of
Clicker and two additional licences?
Free
software
Software Savings
As the main supplier of software to Scottish education,
Learning and Teaching Scotland is delighted to
announce the introduction of a number of new software
licensing schemes. These licensing schemes have been
set up to allow you to purchase software at the lowest
possible price, in the most flexible way and with no
commitment to minimum quantities.
Listed below are brief details on the new schemes.
For full information or pricing details please contact
Customer Services on 08700 100 297.
software compliance
counterfeit software
Adobe
Scottish education can now purchase separate licences
and media for all Adobe products at the lowest possible
prices.
2004–2005
Clicker from Crick Software
Sports Interactive
Scottish schools can purchase additional Clicker
licences with a 30 per cent discount, and a 20 per cent
discount on all Crick Software titles powered by Clicker.
These include Clicker Animations, Planet Wobble, Clicker
Books and the Find Out and Write About series.
This software combines eight interactive modules lasting
approximately one hour each, and an eight-week fitness
programme designed to transform the fitness levels and
dietary habits of primary school children.
Riverdeep Interactive
The products include Kid Pix Studio, Mighty Maths
Carnival series, Printshop Deluxe, Zoombinis series and
Mavis Beacon, which are all available to purchase at
the lowest possible prices. Licences are included with
the CD-ROMs and there are separate teachers’ guides.
Please note that all teachers’ guides are now localised
for the UK.
www.riverdeep-learning .co.uk
www.sportsinteractive.org.uk
Full details of all the licensing schemes LT Scotland
operates are available in the newly published Guide to
Software Licensing 2004–2005, launched at SETT. A
copy of the guide is being sent out free of charge with
every software order received.
Special pricing for all these products has been
negotiated by Learning and Teaching Scotland
exclusively for Scottish schools.
Sherston
LT Scotland has negotiated with Sherston that all its
products (excluding Tizzy’s First Tools, Chatterbox
French, German, Spanish and English and DVD and
Class Images clip art) are available at £12.50. This
includes a licence with each CD-ROM.
www.sherston.co.uk
This is the sixth Early Years’ Matters newsletter and I
really welcome your views. Are there areas you are
particularly interested in? Are there topics you would
like to see featured in the next newsletter? Do you
have something exciting and innovative which you
could share?
Contact Eileen Carmichael, Development Officer,
Early Years Online at e.carmichael@LTScotland.
org.uk or tel: 0141 377 5149.
19
Launch of
National
Guidance for
Birth to Three
In 2003 Learning and Teaching Scotland consulted on
draft guidance, Care and Learning for Children Birth
to Three, commissioned by the Scottish Executive
Education Department. You can still view the draft
guidance and a report on the responses to the
consultation process which summarises the feedback
received, at Early Years Online, www.LTScotland.org.
uk/earlyyears/Birthtothree.asp.
This draft guidance has now been finalised with the title
Birth to Three: supporting our youngest children and will
be launched in Edinburgh on 18 January 2005. Birth to
Three: supporting our youngest children – A Parent’s
Guide will be launched at the same
time, to let parents and carers know
about the new national guidance for
all those who work with children from
birth to 3.
Conference launch
A full-day conference will launch
this new national guidance,
enabling networking and time for
discussion between organisations
and individuals with a remit for birth
to 3 and also providing the opportunity to hear a range
of keynote speakers. These will include Val Cox from
the Scottish Executive Education Department, Jacquie
Roberts from the Care Commission, Linda Kinney from
Stirling Council Children’s Services and Dr Vasudevi
Reddy from the University of Portsmouth. Attendance
at the launch is by invitation and we will look forward to
seeing many of you at what promises to be a thoughtprovoking and enjoyable day.
Further developments
In the meantime, work on further staff development
material continues, including video, a print pack of
materials and the production of posters which exemplify
the three key features of Birth to Three: supporting our
youngest children: Relationships, Responsive Care
and Respect. Three examples from
practice are also now available
online, aimed at stimulating
discussion and informing practice.
These can be accessed at LT
Scotland’s Early Years website,
www.LTScotland.org.uk/
earlyyears/Birthtothree.asp, and
contain video clips exemplifying the
three key features.
If you have queries or would like
further information about Birth to
Three: supporting our youngest children, please contact
Juliet Hancock, Early Years Development Officer,
Emerging Trends, Learning and Teaching Scotland,
Gardyne Road, Dundee DD5 1NY, tel: 01382 443664,
e-mail: j.hancock@LTScotland.org.uk.
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
Learning and Teaching Scotland, 74 Victoria Crescent Road,
Glasgow G12 9JN Tel: 0141 337 5000 Fax: 0141 337 5050
Learning and Teaching Scotland, Gardyne Road,
Dundee, DD5 1NY Tel: 01382 443600 Fax: 01382 443645/6
www.LTScotland.org.uk e: enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk
Customer Services Tel: 08700 100 297 Fax: 08700 100 298
20