•All Early Learning and Childcare Settings (Voluntary, Local Authority, Private) • Parent and Toddler Groups • Combined Early and Learning and Childcare and Parent and Toddler Groups • College Departments • Primary Schools • Individual Practitioners • Individual Students • Childminders • Local Authorities (Some local authorities purchase membership for all their early learning and childcare settings)• Voluntary Sector Organisations • National Organisations (other than voluntary) •Companies and Businesses
Helpline: 0141 221 4148
For information, support or advice about any aspect of Early Learning and Childcare, our members can call our helpline Monday to Friday 9.00am - 4.30pm.
Website with exclusive members’ area Access free downloads, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, sample policies and much more.
Early Years Scotland publishes and sends two different magazines directly to members by post twice a year - one magazine for early years professionals and the other for parents and carers, called Parent Chat. All magazines are available to members on our website.
Regular e-bulletins and surveys are sent to all members to ensure that they are kept up to date and to make certain we are aware of their views. We are the representative voice of the E arly Years sector.
Early Years Scotland publishes a number of publications on our website, some of which are free and others are for sale. Members log in at the members’ only area (My EYS) to access free policies. We also offer Top Tips for Parents & Carers focused on a range and variety of themes such as puppet play, learning outdoors, and visiting the supermarket
We offer bespoke professional learning sessions on r equest. We provide a regular calendar of P rofessional Learning opportunities in our Professional Learning Academy Suite in Glasgow City Centre. We run conferences and seminars with discounted rates for members.
We can arrange excellent discounted insurance cover and legal advice for our members.
Join Early Years Scotland online at earlyyearsscotland.org/join
Early Years Scotland is determined that every child in Scotland should expect, and be given, the very best start in life. We know that high quality funded ELC provision for families is a major part of that pledge, and that what happens in children’s early years is a strong predictor of their future.
Early Years Scotland magazine is published twice a year. ISSN number 2057-6846. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Board of Directors nor of Early Years Scotland. Early Years Scotland members are welcome to reproduce material from the magazine provided that the magazine is not reproduced in its entirety, the source is acknowledged and the material is not being re-sold for financial gain. Early Years Scotland is a charity and a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland No.
charity number SC 003725, having its registered office at 23
Early Years Scotland acknowledges the support and funding from the Scottish Government for our work.
Welcome to the spring/summer issue of Early Years Scotland’s mazine for early years professionals.
We have a variety of information for you from our regular contributors, the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and from our guest writers. The SSSC’s Acting Director of Regulation, Hannah Coleman, looks at the issue of supporting staff in raising workplace concerns. We have news from the Care Inspectorate about what the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 means to those working in the sector, and we are delighted to include an update from the Scottish Government from Natalie Don MSP, the Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise*.
Lorna Kettles, Early Years Scotland’s Policy and Engagement Manager, reports on the Early Years Scotland Planet Pledge and the new legislation on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In ‘Membership Matters’, Eliza Scoffield, Early Years Scotland’s Membership and Business Support Manager, brings you all the latest developments which include an offer from Peninsula HR, and exclusive discounts from TTS.
Tracey Thompson, Early Years Scotland Service Manager, describes the new Family Support Service that has been established at HMP Greenock, as part of our Young Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment Programme. We also have news of the fundraising effort made by two of our Early Years Practitioners, who raised money for resources for the services we provide in HMP Barlinnie and HMP Edinburgh.
In her article ‘Caring for children who are born premature’, Dr Una MacFadyen highlights a guideline which aims to support children, their parents and carers, and healthcare, education and social care professionals, and Vicki Rae of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation recommends some healthy snack ideas for children with allergies. Our Top Tips for Parents and Carers on the topic of storytelling offers some useful ideas, and for practitioners we feature some excellent Professional Learning Podcasts which are available on our website.
We have news from member groups. Scott McClymont, the Manager of Acorn Day Nursery, outlines their journey of improvement and Haley Kelly, the Manager of Newcastle Early Learning Nursery, describes
their recent HMIE inspection. Miriam Lindsay, Manager of Seashells ELCC, and Jacqueline Lamb, CEO of Indigo Group, report on special awards their settings have received.
To conclude, we have reviews of two books for early years professionals recommended by Jenny Carey from The University of Strathclyde, and two books for children. Sarah Hopkins, from the Scottish Book Trust, discusses ‘The Eyebrows of Doom’, and Gillian Paterson, Early Years Scotland Early Years Practitioner, describes her daughter Isla’s favourite bedtime story book, ‘Mummy Loves Me’.
Please feel free to share the magazine far and wide with your colleagues, as we continue to work to help support early years staff throughout the country.
*To find out about the Promise visit: www.thepromise.scot
Early Years Scotland (EYS) would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere thanks to our Editor Gwen Garner, for all her hard work and dedication to the organisation over the past 26 years.
Gwen will be very much missed at EYS, and we thank her for
her commitment to both the organisation and to the production of our high quality magazines over her many years as Editor.
It has been a pleasure working alongside Gwen and everyone at EYS wishes her all the very best for the future.
Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise, Natalie Don MSP, brings you up to date with developments in early learning and childcare (ELC).
I want to say thank you for the incredible work you do to provide our children with the best possible start in life. Since being appointed as Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise last year, I have been struck by your resilience, dedication and professionalism in responding to the changing needs of children and families. On a personal note, as a parent of two young children, 4 and 2, who both attend nursery, I understand the amazing work that our childcare staff carry out every single day, and the difference this makes to family life.
I would like firstly to provide an update on the Scottish Budget. The Scottish Government is facing unprecedented financial challenges. Ministers have sought to protect delivery of public services, including by investing £996.5 million in 2024-25 to ensure that we can deliver 1,140 hours of funded ELC to all eligible children, helping to give them the best start in life. The draft Budget includes £16 million additional funding to increase pay to at least £12 per hour for staff in the PVI sector who are delivering funded ELC from April 2024. This could mean an increase of around £2,000 per year for eligible staff who are working full time and we will set out more details about how this will be put into practice soon.
In respect of other developments, last month we announced a new mental health and wellbeing learning resource for childcare professionals. It was developed to assist you in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young children but, importantly, can also be used to help you identify your own wellbeing needs. As with the
Ms Don at the launch of the Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces guidance at Woodlands Early Learning and Childcare Centre, Falkirk
TeamELCWellbeingHub, I am grateful to EYS colleagues for their help in producing this new resource.
We are currently working with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to develop an online single point of access to quality assured professional resources. This will go live shortly – please look out for updates.
In October, I welcomed the opportunity to visit Woodlands ELC Centre in Falkirk to launch the new Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces guidance, which seeks to support practitioners to create safe, nurturing and inspiring outdoor learning experiences which help foster children’s love of the outdoors. Thank you for
the excellent work that you do to provide outdoor play and learning opportunities for children –during my visit I was struck by how beneficial spending time outside can be for children in so many ways.
I also wanted briefly to highlight the Care Inspectorate’s resources which seek to raise awareness of how children could leave a setting without staff or their parent/carer as I know that many in the sector have found these helpful. I would encourage you to take a moment to review the Practice notes and information on the SIMOA campaign.
Thank you once again for all you do to help make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.
Two Early Years Scotland (EYS) Early Years Practitioners who work within the EYS Young Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment Programme, took on a personal challenge to cycle 101km each to raise funds for resources to support the EYS Learning Together Through Play Sessions and Fathers’ Programme at HMP Barlinnie and HMP Edinburgh.
As part of a team of four, Leahan Edmonds cycled through torrential rain along the Union, Forth and Clyde Canal, starting at Haymarket in Edinburgh and finishing at Bowling in Glasgow. Leahan’s colleague Susan Hogg, on the other hand, enjoyed a drier, but less scenic journey in the gym. At times throughout the cycle the team struggled to keep going but were motivated by thinking about how excited the families would be when they were able to play with the new resources.
Amazingly, Leahan and Susan raised a total of £1,422 which enabled Early Years Scotland to buy a range of new and exciting resources to support each family’s needs. Families were actively involved in this process, giving ideas, and suggesting what they would like to see when they visit. The time they have together as a family is very important, so
they were happy to explain what items their children would like such as - ride on toys, building bricks, sensory resources, and musical instruments.
Our staff know how important the Learning Together Through Play Sessions are for brain development,
enhancing both the bond a father has with his child and family engagement. At each session staff offer a wide selection of learning experiences with the aim of creating a welcoming and nurturing space for the families. The resources are a great way for the families that they work with to engage and create lasting relationships through play.
Last year Leahan and Susan supported 105 children and 77 families within the Learning Together Through Play sessions. Forty-six fathers have taken part in the Fathers’ Programme within HMP Barlinnie and HMP Edinburgh.
The work that Early Years Scotland facilitates is for fathers who have children aged 0-5 years. The practitioners provide a 10-week programme where the fathers can learn or gain further knowledge about supporting their child’s early development. Alongside that they are offered the Learning Together Through Play sessions with their family, to allow them to bond together.
Staff would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated money. It has enabled Early Years Scotland to provide very valuable and worthwhile resources for children affected by parental imprisonment.
Early Years Scotland (EYS) has been awarded funding from the Scottish Government to facilitate a Family Support Service at HMP Greenock. The funding is for a trial period which began in October 2023 and will finish at the end of March 2024.
Currently all prisons in Scotland have a Family Visitor Centre to support families visiting a loved one in custody. Prison Visitors Centres are independent services which are provided by non-statutory, not for profit organisations, and are independent of the prison they work alongside. As HMP Greenock is a smaller prison with no additional space to have a Family Visitor Centre, it was decided to trial a Family Support Service in order to support families, children and friends who are affected by having a family member in custody and also to support the importance of facilitating individuals to engage in meaningful
family contact. The Family Support Service supports the following outcomes for prisoners’ families and friends and for the prisoners themselves, by fulfilling three core functions:
• To improve the visits experience for people visiting their family member or loved ones in prison.
• To allow families to access independent and impartial advice, information, and support, which meets their needs.
• To voice the needs of families affected by imprisonment, to the prison they work alongside.
EYS successfully recruited a Family Support Worker who works within HMP Greenock to support children and families who are visiting a loved one in prison. The Family Support Worker is available to advise visitors
on Scottish Prison Service procedures within the prison, whilst signposting them to both internal and external agencies, addressing individual needs and identifying any potential barriers that might occur during visits. Whilst setting up the Family Support Service, the main aim was to ensure that the space we had to use was comfortable and welcoming for families. We had a focus of imbedding some trauma informed resources to provide a trauma informed design within the waiting area itself, and also in the small confidential space we have within the visit room, which families can access before or after a visit, so that they can have a private, supportive conversation with the Family Support Worker.
EYS is really pleased to be working closely with staff at HMP Greenock to provide support to families affected by imprisonment.
Lorna Kettles, Early Years Scotland’s Policy and Engagement Manager, reports on a landmark piece of legislation.
After a lengthy process, including a challenge by the Supreme Court, the Scottish Parliament has finally been able to pass the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill. It officially received Royal Assent and became an Act on 16 January 2024. It will come into force on 16 July 2024.
This international convention sets out a range of basic rights which are applicable to all children – regardless of their age, location, ethnicity or any other factors. These rights are described as universal and inalienable, which means that everyone is born with them, and they cannot be taken away from an individual.
The passage of this Bill means that public authorities and decision makers – such as the Scottish Government, local authorities etc. will be legally obliged to respect children’s rights by designing policies, budgets and services that fulfil the obligations of the UNCRC. Children and young people, as well as those who work with and represent them, will be able to go to the courts to
challenge breaches of their rights by these organisations and institutions. The new Act also includes powers for the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the Scottish Human Rights Commission to take legal action in relation to children’s
Future generations will benefit from this vital international convention forming part of our national law
rights, a duty on Scottish Ministers to set out a Children’s Rights Scheme and a requirement on public bodies to report on their compliance with the UNCRC. Put simply, UNCRC creates obligations for public services to proactively ensure that they are recognising, promoting, and realising the rights of all children and young people.
What does this mean for early years?
The thought of having to incorporate children’s rights into the daily life of an ELC provider can be extremely intimidating, with anxieties and concerns
as to the amount of additional work which will be required for an already overstretched sector.
It is, however, really important to remember that we are already using the UNCRC as a framework, every day, to ensure that children’s rights are being considered in the running of the setting. The UNCRC forms the basis of Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC), which the early years sector is more than well versed in working under. The other documents which govern early years practice also demonstrate ways in which children’s rights are recognised and realised – the Health and Social Care Standards, Realising the Ambition: Being Me, How good is our early learning and childcare? and the Care Inspectorate Quality Framework.
The incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law has been a long time coming and is the strongest way that Scotland can demonstrate its commitment to recognising and realising children’s rights. It is down to the hard work and dedication of campaigners within the third sector, headed by our friends at Together Scotland, that future generations will benefit from this vital international convention forming part of our national law.
The Scottish Government will enact staffing legislation on the 1 April 2024. The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 aims to enable safe and high-quality care and improved outcomes for children through appropriate staffing. The Act states this requires ‘the right people, in the right place, with the right skills, at the right time’.
It is recognised that the foundation for improving children’s outcomes and providing quality care is based on the quality of staff teams. This legislation aims to promote increased wellbeing of staff working in the care sector and highlights the benefits this brings for both the individual staff and children experiencing care. The training and values of the people who work in services underpin the quality of experiences and opportunities that
The Act states that high quality care requires ‘the right people, in the right place, with the right skills, at the right time’
children receive every day. Services should be able to demonstrate how the guiding principles have been influenced decisions about staffing. Staff should also be supported to understand the main principles of the legalisation as this underpins their practice.
The Care Inspectorate’s safe staffing advisors, Joanne Duncan and Candice Aitken, are supporting daycare of children services to prepare
for enactment, and have recently facilitated in person and virtual briefing sessions across Scotland.
There are also dditional support and resources on the ELC Hub page including:
• webinar recordings and bitesize videos
• PDF copies of the slides used during the webinars
• links to relevant sections of the statutory guidance that accompanies the Act
• the ELC safe staffing poster which can be downloaded and put up in your services to raise awareness for your staff team.
Email safestaffingproject@ careinspectorate.gov.scot and to find out more visit the ELC Hub page
The SSSC’s Acting Director of Regulation, Hannah Coleman, explains how the SSSC and Care Inspectorate guidance can help staff and employers.
It is important that staff working in early learning and childcare feel supported and able to raise concerns in the workplace.
Everyone working in early learning and childcare has a responsibility to provide the best possible care, in a safe environment, and in a way that supports the children they work with to have the best possible start in life. This includes raising concerns when they have them and employers having the right things in place to make sure staff can raise concerns easily and safely.
We published our joint guidance Raising concerns in the workplace: Guidance for employers, social service workers and social work students several years ago, and more recently issued a joint statement reiterating its importance in ensuring public protection.
The first part of the guidance is for workers and students and reminds them of their professional duty to raise concerns and SSSC registrants’ responsibilities under the Codes of Practice.
It outlines examples of the types of concerns they may have and should speak up about including:
• child or adult protection concerns
• concerns about a colleague’s fitness to practise
• the standard or quality of care being provided
• employer’s non-compliance with legal or Health and Social Care Standards requirements.
The prospect of raising concerns can cause lots of anxiety and it’s
ELC employers should have the right things in place to make sure staff can raise concerns easily and safely
the employer’s responsibility to have a supportive culture and processes in place to enable staff to speak up.
Creating a workplace culture that encourages openness and honesty is vital when it comes to giving staff the confidence to speak up and the knowledge that their concerns will be dealt with properly. Asking people regularly during supervision and their one-to-one meetings whether they have any concerns can help create this culture and provide time away from the pressures of the daily routine to discuss any concerns and potential changes needed to address them. Confidentiality when dealing with staff concerns and protecting them from any negative consequences or retaliation from colleagues, or others, are both crucial to give staff the confidence to speak up.
The guidance also covers Duty of Candour that sets out what needs to happen when unexpected or unintended harm is caused, and whistleblowing provisions that offer protection for people speaking out in the public interest.
If you’re dealing with concerns in the workplace about the fitness to practise of staff but you’re not sure if it meets our thresholds for a referral, you can contact our employer advice line. Email employerlink@sssc.uk.com or phone 0345 60 30 891, selecting the option for employer advice line, our phone line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm.
Find the Raising concerns in the workplace: Guidance for employers, social service workers and social work students on our website at: www.sssc. uk.com/knowledgebase/article/ KA-02659/en-us
Containing teaching ideas and classroom activities, Primary Maths for Scotland supports teachers to facilitate active learning and develop conceptual understanding alongside procedural fluency.
Written to the CfE benchmarks to plan routes through the Es & Os for numeracy and mathematics
Find out more or request free sample material from your local rep:
Claire (East Scotland schools): 07557 188 154 or claire.mcauley@harpercollins.co.uk
Christine (West Scotland schools): 07825 116 401 or christine.stein@harpercollins.co.uk
The leading complete systematic synthetic phonics programme developed to provide schools with high-quality, consistent teaching of phonics, and foster a love of reading.
Contains practical support for exploring sounds and words
Classroom resources to support an introduction to phonics
Eliza Scoffield, Early Years Scotland’s Membership and Business Support Manager, brings you up to date with all the latest developments.
We are delighted to update our members on some changes to membership and new and exciting benefits that I hope will bring some added value, whilst easing some financial costs associated with providing your service.
We have been listening closely to the demands and needs of the ELC sector. Our changes are in response to what you have told us through our helpline requests, Early Years Scotland and sector surveys, and our own membership and steering group meetings where we support and share ideas about the current challenges early years providers are facing.
The first thing to tell you about is your membership itself. When visiting MyEYS you will see we have re-branded the categories of your membership. When you are renewing, you will now have the choice to opt for a package of support that best suits your needs within the new Bronze, Silver, and Gold categories, for we have chosen a category for you based on your existing membership. Our commitment to helping our members by developing the range of
benefits continues. These benefits differ within each category, so have a look at the membership section of the website when making renewal decisions to ensure you maximise the resources and exclusive discounts on offer to you.
Within this issue James McDonald from Morton Michel tells you about how their expertly designed products can provide a range of employee benefits, discounts and CPD to support your business, staff, and the children you care for.
This discounted service is now available to all Early Years Scotland members who require a payslip service. An active Early Years Scotland membership number will be required to confirm eligibility. If you would like to learn more, or sign up to the service, please contact Stacey at stacey@parrisandmcnally co.uk or by telephone on 01292 671119.
Exclusive discounts and other support for members from TTS
TTS are passionate about improving children’s learning outcomes and know that ongoing professional development is paramount to delivering quality education. TTS are proud to be supporting the early years sector with FREE CPD training, delivered by
experts and educators from across the globe, through their CPD accredited TTS Talking podcasts and assessments.
Every TTS Talking podcast and CPD series focuses on a key topic impacting the Early Years sector. The insights TTS receive from Early Years Scotland about what members need and want, what challenges members are facing and what’s important to them, are key factors which shape future topics.
Series 1 of the podcast is all about enriching learning opportunities outdoors because TTS, just like Early Years Scotland, are passionate about promoting the many benefits of outdoor play and the importance of being connected to the natural world.
Topic 3 of this series, ‘Sustainability in the Early Years’, supports Early Years Scotland’s Planet Pledge, by providing members with reliable information on reusing and recycling, as well as practical guidance on how to make your early years setting more sustainable, while supporting children’s development and teaching the next generation how to care for our planet.
To get your discount codes and other support from TTS, Early Years Scotland members should visit https:// earlyyearsscotland.org/tts-members. (Please ensure you are logged in to your My EYS account to access this page).
James McDonald, Business Development Executive at Morton Michel, describes how settings can benefit from the company’s services.
The great thing about my role is that I am given the opportunity to work with our partners closely, building relationships, providing solutions, and collaborating regularly. Getting to do this with everyone at Early Years Scotland for the last few months has been a fantastic experience and I speak for everyone at Morton Michel when I say we are very excited to be partnering with the organisation and helping members with their insurance needs.
Established in 1964, Morton Michel is the longest standing childcare insurance specialist in the UK and provides cover for over 45,000 early years and education providers, making us the UK’s leading provider. In 2017, Morton Michel joined the PIB insurance group which has allowed us to continue to invest in developing and improving what we do.
Having worked and supported childcare professionals for almost 60 years, this experience has helped to build our expertise across the childcare and education sector and ensures we provide insurance policies and
services that meet the needs of your business. Understanding the regulatory, commercial, and personal ambitions of a childcare professional informs everything we do. Our consultative approach means that we take the time to really understand the unique risks to your business to arrive at the level of protection your business and reputation deserves.
Morton Michel aims to be much more than most other traditional insurance
brokers; we look to partner with organisations and support their needs wherever possible which is why we are so thrilled to be partnering with Early Years Scotland, Scotland’s leading early years organisation with over 50 years of heritage and experience.
Our insurance products are expertly designed for the childcare and education sectors alongside a package of additional benefits to support businesses and their employees, ranging from training material, counselling helplines, legal support, and employee benefits. It is important to us that what we provide truly adds value to your business and supports you when you need it.
To provide the right level of service support for all members, we have launched a dedicated phone line 0330 058 9860 and email address earlyyearscotland@mortonmichel.com just for you. You can contact us using these details to ask us questions, apply for insurance and to find out more about our partnership.
We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership, our mutual experience and understanding of the sector fill us with confidence we can build a strong and successful affinity together and our team look forward to hearing from you!
Madeleine Walker, Business Development Manager at Peninsula shares an Early Years Scotland member exclusive discount and tells you about our relationship with them.
As a member of Early Years Scotland, you can enjoy exclusive discounts when you outsource your HR and Health & Safety to Peninsula. When you’re focused on delivering excellent childcare, we understand that you may need extra support to deal with staff issues or safety concerns. From employee disputes to hazards, every Early Years Scotland member should have the tools to handle these issues confidently - free from stress or risk. To help you do that, we’re giving you 15% off Peninsula’s unlimited HR and Health & Safety support.
Peninsula is home to the UK’s most-trusted HR and Health & Safety specialists. Over 44,000 employers
nationwide use the following Peninsula services:
Unlimited HR advice: Discuss any staff issue, at any time with a CIPDqualified specialist.
Timesaving tech: Save time and stress with the UK’s favourite HR and Health & Safety software.
Specialist employment law advice: Get feedback to make your premises ready for the Care Inspectorate, and navigate trade union involvement.
Tribunal support: Know that you’re protected against any future tribunal claims.
HR documentation: All your employee handbooks, contracts,
policies, and more are crafted by employment law experts.
Health & Safety support: From in-person audits to 24/7 advice, you can get expert support to keep your workplace risk-free.
You can enjoy all this and more for 15% off standard prices. It’s all part of your Early Years Scotland membership. Plus, you can book a FREE consultation with an HR or Health & Safety specialist today. Your consultant will review your existing processes and procedures to identify any gaps or areas of risk.
To discuss this or claim your discount, contact Madeleine Walker, on 0777 3123804, or email madeleine.walker@ peninsula-uk.com quoting your reference which is your active Early Years Scotland account membership number.
Jacqueline
Lamb, ChiefExecutive Officer of Indigo Childcare Group, describes the organisation’s Family Matters whole family support programme.
Having existed in Castlemilk in Glasgow for over 30 years, Indigo knows their community well. They know its demographic, its socioeconomic challenges, and its aspirations. Looking at their core values as an organisation, ‘family centred’ stands out and is the heart of their very existence. They live by the belief that a child does not exist in isolation but is shaped by family circumstance and community setting.
Whilst Indigo’s primary purpose is delivery of an all-age learning and childcare model, the organisation is clear that to do that well, with long term positive outcomes, they must support the whole family to find their own way forward and that support must be individualised to their needs ‘children, young people and their families are at the heart of every decision’.
It’s this background that has driven the development of Family Matters, a universal whole family support programme. The Family Matters concept was established in response to the needs of families already known to Indigo, but recognising that they’re part of a wider community, it was
important that the service was open to all families in Castlemilk, minimising any potential stigma.
Indigo acknowledges that all families whatever their background, hit a bump in the road at some point and could therefore benefit from some support and recognising that many existing families support models are bound by strict eligibility criteria wanted to make sure the service was a universal offering, available for those who needed it, when they needed it.
Family Matters prioritises empowering families to give their children the best possible start in life, whatever their circumstances. Helping families see the service as an
opportunity to access quality childcare, learning, play and social interaction, and to improve their financial situation and prospects through employment, increased working hours, access to education and training. It’s also an opportunity for the community to support one another and for families to engage more proactively in the support available to them from within their own community.
Family Matters has grown directly in response to that community togetherness, listening to their needs and responding to what they asked rather than what Indigo felt they needed. This has resulted in Family Matters providing a range of supports in the community including amongst others:
• 1-1 Family Support and Planning
• Signposting and support to access agencies who can assist with a range of family challenges.
• Stay and Play – opportunities for families to enjoy quality fun time together, a warm meal and other adults to talk to, without feeling the pressure of how much it is costing.
• Community Pantry – open access to daily essentials to help when finances just become too difficult.
• Indigo Carers Connect – Peer Support sessions for families with children with additional support needs.
• Loving Language – A specialist speech language and communication service to support parents and practitioners in developing children’s speech language and communication.
“
The Family Hub was such an amazing experience when I was struggling with my mental health. They went that extra mile such as helping out with family hub time on areas of support for me and the family
“ Parent
Putting that arm of support around families and communities in this way has had so many positive outcomes:
• Understanding the needs of families better, helps practitioners deliver better child led experiences to strengthen their learning experiences and outcomes.
• Creating robust relationships with families, founded on trust and support and led by them, supports better parent partnership working.
• Families learning together has resulted in more sustained positive learning outcomes with 84% of children from SIMD 1 and 2 areas, transitioning to primary school last year meeting their milestones.
• 54% of parents were able to start a new job or increase hours at work, thereby improving the financial wellbeing of their family.
Family Matters isn’t only working for children and families in the community today. The learning and data that has been gathered and analysed, continues to influence our service development as we move forward.
Vicki Rae of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation recommends some healthy snack ideas.
When it comes to nourishing children, it’s essential to prioritise their health and well-being. For children with allergies, providing snacks that are both nutritious and safe becomes a crucial consideration. By tailoring snacks to their specific allergies and avoiding potential triggers, we can ensure every child can enjoy delicious and healthy treats. This article explores the importance of considering children’s individual allergies and provides some snack ideas that are suitable for those with common allergies.
Each child’s allergies are unique, and it’s crucial to take their specific dietary restrictions into account. Some common allergens include peanuts,
tree nuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, and seafood. By understanding and respecting these allergies, we can create a safe snacking environment that promotes inclusivity and avoids any potential harm.
Fresh fruits
Create colourful fruit kebabs using allergen-free fruits such as grapes, melon chunks, pineapple, and strawberries. These refreshing treats are not only visually appealing but also packed with essential vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruits are typically safe options for children with allergies. However, it’s essential to be aware of any specific fruit allergies that a child may have.
Vegetable sticks with dip
Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and bell pepper strips paired with allergyfriendly dips like hummus, guacamole, or dairy-free yogurt can make for a nutritious and allergy-friendly snack.
Rice cakes or rice crackers
Rice cakes are versatile and make a great base for various toppings. Consider toppings like sunflower seed butter, sliced bananas, or allergy-safe chocolate spread. These combinations offer a satisfying snack while accommodating common allergies.
Allergy friendly homemade trail mix
Create a custom trail mix using allergysafe ingredients like dried fruits, seeds (e.g., pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), and allergy-friendly cereal.
Popcorn
Air-popped popcorn is a great option for children with allergies. Season it
with herbs, spices, or nutritional yeast for added flavour without compromising safety. Popcorn is a whole-grain snack that offers fibre and is low in allergenic ingredients.
Allergy friendly energy balls
Make homemade energy balls using allergy-friendly ingredients like oats, sunflower seed butter, honey, and add-ins like dried fruits or allergy safe chocolate chips. Ensure that all the ingredients used are free from allergens.
Veggie chips
Opt for vegetable-based chips or crisps made from ingredients like sweet potatoes or beets. Check the packaging to ensure they are free from allergens such as gluten or dairy.
Yogurt with alternatives
For children with dairy allergies, offer dairy-free yogurt alternatives made from soy, almond, or coconut milk. Layer the yogurt with fresh fruits, granola (free from allergens), or allergysafe cereal for added texture and flavour.
It’s important to provide support, understanding, and empathy to children with food allergies. Encouraging open
Early Years Scotland partner TTS are delighted to offer one lucky reader the chance to win our brand new Eco Motor Skills Utensils Kit.
This collection of ergonomically designed tools helps to support children’s exploration of fine and gross motor movements. Suitable for age 10 months and up. Made from bio materials. Pack of 21.
For your chance to win email your name, address and name of your setting (if applicable) to info@ earlyyearsscotland.org by Friday 29 March. First entry drawn at random will be the winner.
As an Early Years Scotland member you can also take advantage of a discount when you order through TTS. Get 15% off one order with code 15EYS24 and 10% off all other orders with code 10EYS24. Eco
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communication, fostering inclusivity, and promoting awareness about food allergies can help create a more supportive environment for these children, allowing them to thrive and participate fully in various activities without feeling limited by their allergies.
Resources for further information and support
Get in touch with Asthma and Allergy Foundation: info@asthmaandallergy. org.uk. Call us on 01224 973001/0141 501 0539/0131 609 0264.
Visit our website www.anaphylaxis.org.uk
I received an email with the title ‘notification of inspection’ around two and a half weeks prior to the inspection taking place. The email informed us who our managing inspector was and that they would be in touch to discuss the inspection in more detail. The email contained a link signposting me to the Education Scotland website for further information and advice, alongside briefing notes and other documents that would be required. There was also information that I could share with parents and carers regarding the upcoming inspection and what they should expect, along with links to surveys that I was to share with parents and carers of the setting, partners of the setting and staff of the setting.
The inspection administrator arranged to call the next day regarding the inspection to support with preparation for it. They followed up with an email to share briefing materials, self-evaluation template, safeguarding proforma and a staffing template. These all had to be completed within a certain time frame set by Education Scotland, prior to the inspection. I spent some time with my staff team and informed them of the upcoming inspection, we discussed what this may look like, and I answered any questions they had. I did regular check-ins with my team to ensure they were feeling confident in their abilities. I had a phone call with the managing inspector, they reassured me, and we discussed what the inspection week would look like, and they answered any questions that my team or I had raised.
At this point, I felt a little anxious as it was my first Education Scotland inspection as manager of a setting, but I was also feeling a little bit enthusiastic as the setting had been on a big improvement journey over the years, and as a team we felt in a good place and wanted to validate our journey and ensure we were heading in the right direction.
Our staff are confident in their pedagogy and were enthusiastic to have professional dialogue with the inspection team throughout the day
We were inspected using the short inspection model which took place over three days. The inspection team arrived, and I introduced them to the team and children and gave them a tour of our setting. The first day of the inspection also saw a scoping meeting take place with myself, the inspection team and a representative from the local authority that we are in
partnership with. During the scoping meeting I discussed everything contained within my self-evaluation that I had previously submitted and had evidence on hand to back everything up. The inspection team then spent some time in the room and advised that they would return the following day to observe and meet with staff, partners of the setting and parents and carers as previously agreed.
The following day the inspection team spent time observing play and learning before going in to the first meeting which was with partners of the setting. They then spent a further while within the room before lunch and then went in to the second meeting which was with parents and carers of the setting. Some further time was spent observing play and learning before the final meeting of the day which was with staff.
The inspection team put everyone at ease and provided some praise to
staff on good practice that they had observed throughout the day. Staff are confident in their pedagogy and were enthusiastic to have professional dialogue with the inspection team throughout the day, showing them evidence of their continuous hard work and dedication to improvement.
On the third day, a representative from our local authority joined us for the findings from the inspection. The managing inspector informed me that what we were going to discuss was confidential and was not to be shared with anyone until the report was published. The managing inspector discussed their findings from the inspection, areas for improvement and provided the evaluations.
We were inspected on ‘How good is our early learning and childcare?’ quality indicators 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment and 3.2 Securing children’s progress and were awarded ‘very good’ for both. The inspection team agreed with our areas for improvement as highlighted through our self-evaluation and improvement planning. It was validating to hear this feedback as it shows that as a team, we are using the self-evaluation tools available to their advantage.
The following day I met with the staff team and let them know that the inspection went well, and we had received some good feedback and areas for improvement. Most importantly I let them know I was super grateful for all their hard work over the years and that I was proud of them.
After the summer holidays I received an email from the inspection administrator containing a letter and advising that the report was going live the following week and that I could distribute the letter to staff and members of the parent council in strict confidence and advise parents and carers of the publication date. The report was then published, and we shared this with everyone; staff, children and parents/carers were all super proud of our achievements.
When reflecting on the inspection with my team, we found some things that are of value to us; we feel it is important to have robust selfevaluation processes in place, make use of looking inwards, outwards and forwards by making connections with other settings as we are all trying
After our positive inspection, we had the privilege of hosting a visit from Neil Rennick, Scottish Government Director General for Education and Justice as an exemplar ELC setting and to discuss our improvement journey and commitment to improve quality. I put together a PowerPoint presentation to show our journey over the years and highlight the positive working relationship with our local authority and welcomed professional discussions surrounding our improvement journey and improving quality in ELC. Neil and his team from the Early Learning and Childcare and School Age Childcare divisions
to achieve high quality settings for Scotland’s children, and collect evidence as you go to show the impact of improvements.
We use ‘How good is our early learning and childcare?’ as our main tool for self-evaluation which has been invaluable. Knowing and living this document should be a priority for all settings, making use of the highly effective practice to judge standards and grade your own setting against. We also use the challenge questions for structuring professional dialogue and tie them in with the Care Inspectorate’s quality framework. Our local authority has been a big support
then spent some time within the room with the children and staff, along with having a look at some of the learning opportunities we have available for the children.
Pictured (L to R) are Eilidh Henry Scottish Government School Aged Childcare Team Leader: Neil Rennick, Scottish Government Director General for Education and Justice; Hayley Kelly, Nursery Manager; Steven MacEwan Nursery Chairperson; Janette Booth Nursery Treasurer; and Stewart Westwater, Fife Council’s Quality Improvement Officer.
throughout, they are always on hand to answer any questions, offer advice and point you in the right direction. We certainly value the professional, working relationship we have with them.
If I could give any advice to anyone who may be due an Education Scotland inspection it would be to have evidence to support your judgements made, be open and honest regarding anything not in place and highlight this as a development area with ideas on how you and your team plan to improve and believe in yourself and your team’s abilities –have confidence!
Miriam Lindsay, Manager of Seashells Nursery in Eyemouth, writes about their work and being named as the Most Nurturing Children’s Day Nursery 2023 - Scottish Borders in the LUXlife Magazine Parent & Baby Awards 2023.
Seashells Nursery began as a charity nursery in 1971 and according to LUXlife Magazine ‘now stands as one of the most nurturing children’s day nurseries within Scotland’. The Parent & Baby Award was well received by us all. ‘Love’ ‘Integrity’ and ‘Aspiration’ is the nursery ethos and is combined with the love of our nurturing staff.
The nursery is based in the beautiful coastal village of Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders. The children spend much of their time out on the beach, going for woodland walks and visiting the local care home weekly. This helps children to feel a sense of the community and gives them an understanding of their surroundings in the area in which they live. Having the beach and woodland area to explore builds the spark, excitement, and imagination that every child should feel when coming for a day to their early learning and childcare provider.
Visiting the local care home ensures the love we foster in nursery is portrayed and supported right through to another generation. We play games, sing, or just have a cuddle and chat with the elderly. This leaves both the children at Seashells and the care home excited to visit week after week, as friendships between generations develop.
I took over as Manager eight years ago and have fostered and adapted an environment full of curiosity and exploration where the children can engage in their interests as well the world around them. With the love of staff ensuring children are loved from the moment they enter in the morning and establishing a positive relationship that fully engages in quality interactions throughout the day, the children experience high quality love, care, learning and appreciation for their personalities. The loving atmosphere and reputation the nursery has established over the years, has led us to having to expand with the addition of extra playrooms to the setting.
Weekly visits to the local care home ensures the love we foster in the nursery is portrayed and supported right through to another generation
Our families are of importance to our staff team. We want families and carers to feel they are also well cared for. We have an open door policy, to come and be supported by management or staff through anything that is worrying them, which includes their personal life. We aim for all
families to always have a sense of care and love right across the board with every interaction and everything we do.
I believe that to foster the sense of love, integrity and aspiration, that our staff should feel this also. At Seashells the staff are the greatest value and asset, and their health and mental wellbeing is priority to management. I have completed a mental health qualification to support all stakeholders. We insist on providing lunch twice a week for the staff. They receive flowers on their birthdays, and we ensure that staff know that they are loved and appreciated. It is of the highest importance to make the workplace happy, caring and supported. Considering everything, I think our award has been much appreciated and well deserved!
£80
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk
This day-long session with infant psychologist Dr Suzanne Zeedyk will give us a chance to explore why music, rhythm and movement are so significant for babies. Come and join us for a day that promises to be full of insight, discovery and practical applications.
Wednesday 5 June, 10am–4pm
Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR
Our webinar series is aimed at anyone involved or interested in the early years who is looking to learn, challenge themselves and improve their practice.
Casper Addyman
Based on Caspar’s popular science book, The Laughing Baby, this talk argues that it was our laughing babies that made us human. This webinar looks back at the evolutionary origins of humanity through the wonder-filled eyes of infants. Our joyful connection to our babies was essential to our early survival and provides a hopeful perspective on the challenges of modern parenthood.
Professor Anna Franklin
Babies’ vision is initially poor and they have strong preferences for looking at certain types of things and images. Professor Anna Franklin presents the science of infant visual development. She also outlines her new research which identifies the visual features of the books that grab babies’ attention, and makes suggestions for how to choose a baby book that is just right for babies’ visual abilities. £20
Liz Pemberton
As children are developing their sense of self and beginning to understand the people in the communities around them and in the wider world, it is our job to help them to do this positively. This talk will highlight the importance of embedding an anti-racist approach throughout all elements of early years practice and why children need to see themselves reflected in the books that they see and have read to them. £20
Want tickets to three or more of our live or on demand webinars? Save 20% when tickets are bought together.
Participants can either watch the webinars live or view the recorded sessions at a more suitable time.
Scott McClymont, the Manager of Acorn Day Nursery in Fife, describes their journey of improvement and inspection success
Acorn Day Nursery is a small rural nursery a couple of miles south of St Andrews. Our nursery has been on a journey of improvement over the past four and a half years influenced, but not exclusively, by some factors that were outwith our control such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The leadership team and staff utilised this to re-think our approach to properly locate the type of nursery we wanted to be. Part of this process involved a consultation exercise with our families and staff to create our bespoke values, encompassing Acorn’s vision and aspirations for our children. These are Achieving, Child-Centred, Outdoors, Responsive and Nurtured.
Our nursery is a pre-dominantly outdoors based setting, which makes the most of our outdoor spaces in the nursery setting, as well as further afield on the Kinaldy estate, entering into a lease agreement to acquire our own forest space that we have developed into our ‘Acorn Woods’. This forms the basis of daily visits and has been a real focus for the nursery. One day per week on a rotational basis (a different day each week) the whole nursery moves to the forest for the day.
This is a wonderful experience for all the children and helps with making transitions from the seeds (under 3s) room to the oaks (3-5s) room as
seamless as possible. On these days the under 2-year-olds don’t always attend the forest for the full day, as it gives this group the run of the nursery with our practitioners exploring lots of sensory activities in a quieter setting. Visiting nurseries to our setting (to share practice) comment on how much the children direct their own learning in our forest space.
Being outdoors as much as possible, our under 3’s team come rain or shine have implemented an outdoor sleeping policy, whether the children are based at the nursery for the day or up in the forest, utilising our shelter or bell tent for sleeping. We have anecdotal evidence
that this is improving sleeping patterns for our children. They settle quicker and have more deep and uninterrupted sleeps. This supports some of the research from our Scandinavian neighbours about the benefits of outdoor sleeping.
This pattern of working has assisted the children who do not sleep, as indoor sleeping was taking up valuable space in the under 3s room and impacting on these children’s play and learning experience, as there was a need for quiet activities during sleep time.
As the nursery continued to develop its approach, we wanted to empower our hard working and dedicated staff team as much as possible by giving them a level of ownership over aspects of the nursery. With all settings there can be a room divide and at Acorn we have a physical divide with an upstairs / downstairs setting in the old grain barn. Practitioners work in pairs across the nursery on our seven areas of the curriculum that we feel are important to us. Health and Well-being is the central theme of our nursery, as is community engagement, literacy, numeracy, quality assurance, outdoor learning, and our eco-flag committee.
Climate change is a topic that everyone has an investment in and that is no different for us. We have worked with our children and our eco-committee to reduce our carbon footprint through initiatives like litter picking, community planting at the eco hub and at Cambo estate, our vegetable patch at Morton of Pitmilly, as well as making big investments in the nursery building such as PV panels on the roof, loft insulation and managing our waste more effectively
Health and wellbeing is the central theme of our nursery, as is community engagement, literacy, numeracy, quality assurance, outdoor learning, and our ecoflag committee.
with the support of our waste management company.
As the inclement Scottish weather has set in, a wee bit of our focus has moved to indoors as we fine tune our learning spaces, with a lot of work undertaken to re-develop the oaks room, introducing lots of cosy learning spaces and implementing a free-flow lunch system. This was something that was raised at our previous inspection. This room is implementing a free-flow outdoors programme that is proving to be a challenge given the logistics of the building (the room being based upstairs) but the staff team are really motivated to make it a success as they recognise the benefits of outdoor learning.
It has been pleasing to see our journey of improvement dovetail with our inspections from the Care Inspectorate over the past four years. We have undergone several inspections throughout our journey that has helped us to focus our programme of change. We have a supportive professional relationship with our inspectors who we are in touch with often to share our practice and learning and to discuss our ideas for change. We are justifiably proud of the latest inspection grades we received in May 2023 which awarded us 5s across the four areas of inspection. This has been a boost to the staff team and recognition of the hard work and effort they put in on a daily basis.
Did you enjoy listening to stories when you were a child? Do you enjoy reading stories? Do you like to share stories with your child?
Storytelling and stories children hear help them to understand the world in which we live. Reading and listening to stories helps children to understand different cultures and people and share different experiences. Children who have stories read to them regularly also have a better understanding of how to deal with people and different situations which they may encounter.
Storytelling has many benefits for young children. It helps children to get to know different sounds, words and language and helps with their communication skills. Listening is also an important part of storytelling. As they hear new words, they will begin to recognise sounds. Imagination
This information comes from one of the series of Early Years Scotland’s Top Tips for Parents/Carers which gold and silver category members can download free from the ‘MY EYS’ area of our website at earlyyearsscotland. org. The resources cover a wide range of topics on play and learning, child development, numeracy, literacy and much more.
and curiosity are also developed as well as social skills. Children begin to understand the value of books and they will enjoy listening to familiar stories over and over again.
When reading stories to your child it is important to ask questions. This can help to extend your child’s vocabulary and understanding of the story. As children grow and develop, they will begin to ask their own questions about the story. This is natural and enables them to think about and gain an understanding of the sequence and characters in the story.
Sharing stories with your child is a special time but remember you don’t always need to use a book to tell stories. People were telling stories before books were invented. Making up stories with your child can be fun and exciting for you both.
Have fun exploring a range of different types of books with your child such as:
• Repetitive books. The Gruffalo and Hairy Maclary books are good examples of these. Children love joining in the repetitions.
• Rhyming books. Children can often guess what the last word will be because of the rhyme. ‘Brown Bear Brown Bear’ and ‘Chocolate Moose for Greedy Goose’ are two examples.
• Picture books. These are ideal for very young children. They can often ‘read’ the story themselves just by following the pictures.
• Pop-up books and books with moving parts. These are fun and help hold your child’s interest in the story.
• Tactile or sound books. They may have different surfaces for your child to touch as you read such as the fur on an animal or a squeaker to make its sound.
• Fiction or Fact? We tend to think stories have to be fiction –invented tales, but often real life stories can be just as exciting.
• Traditional tales such as Snow White, Cinderella or The Three Little Pigs.
• Audio books on a phone, tablet or CD. These are especially good when travelling and you can listen to the stories together. You can find children’s stories on YouTube and some are free.
• Kindle books. These don’t have the lovely feel that a real book has but are a good way of storing lots of stories in one place and children nowadays tend to be very comfortable using electronic gadgets.
Indoors
Find a comfortable cosy place to snuggle up with your child for story time. It might be on a bean bag, the couch or when they go to bed at night. Make sure there are no other distractions by switching off the TV or radio.
If you are lucky enough to have access to woodland, a beach or park then you
can use those exciting locations to invent stories together with your child such as Who lives in this wood? Are they friendly? Or perhaps a pirate story at the seaside? Children have much better imaginations than us so just start them off and see where it takes you. You can do this on journeys too by spotting things out of the car, bus or train window and then making up stories together about them.
If your child just wants to re-read their favourite book over and over again, this is a natural part of development. Having a favourite book at an early age is linked to success in learning to read.
• Try to lose your inhibitions and be as dramatic as possible when reading stories. Change your voice with each character. Raise and lower your voice to create suspense and anticipation.
• If reading to more than one child at a time remember to look up from the book and have good eye contact with them. Your facial expression can enhance the story too.
• Focus your child on the illustrations by asking questions about what they see or by pointing out something in the picture. Try asking what they think will happen next before you turn the page.
• Puppets can help your child engage and really focus on a story. You can make simple ones yourself with wooden spoons or paper bags.
• Dressing up items allow your child to become one of the characters in the story. You can create a story sack for a particular story by collecting objects, props or dressing up items and putting them in an old pillowcase ready for storytelling.
• Sound effects help make a great story. Use objects found around the house such as yoghurt cartons, pot lids and wooden spoons to create appropriate sounds. Your child then needs to concentrate on the story in order to come in with the sound effect at the right moment.
Jenny Carey, Course Leader for the Early Years Master’s degree at The University of Strathclyde, and Early Years Scotland’s resident book reviewer, reflects on two books, Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood and Care and Home Learning Environments for Young Children.
Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood and Care (Dyer M.A., McMahon S., 2022)
What does it mean to be a professional in early childhood and care? What tensions are created by external policy drivers and professional expectations?
This book is relevant for Scottish settings at a time when shared inspections and definitions of quality post ‘1140’ are high on the agenda. So don’t be put off with the reoccurring focus on ‘English early years sector’; I used it to draw comparisons with Scottish early years policy and practice.
My interest in this text grew from discussions of the way that professional standards and identity interact and perhaps collide to shape what a practitioner notices, thinks, and acts upon. The term ‘decisional capital’ is used to describe this process and subtle threads are woven to the way this links directly to professional agency (which is discussed fully in chapter 8). Dyer and Manion (2022) explore the differences between framing practitioners as ‘technicians or creative researchers’ (Chapter 6).
I guess you have realised that this is quite a thoughtful read; it uses narrative and other forms of data from the author’s doctoral research to theorise the way that policy, pedagogy, and practice contributes to the status and development of the Early Childhood Workforce.
It is a cracker of a read for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students; it provides great examples of ways to critically analyse practice
alongside academic reading. Perhaps more importantly critical thinking and reflection are seen as vital to expanding professional identity and agency, which is linked to definitions of transformative practice (Chapter 7).
Reading ‘Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood and Care’ had prompted me to consider, does an effective ELC professional move between being a ‘technician and creative researcher’ day to day as a way of negotiating landscapes of practice? You will need to read this text to answer that question for yourself.
Home Learning Environments for Young Children (Nutbrown, C., Clough, P., Davies, K., Hannon, P., 2022)
The writing team of this book are well known for their research informed approach to building practice, which in a sense was my initial reason for engaging with it. Each chapter of this book begins with a chapter overview and objectives. This makes the content easy to access and use for specific professional
discussions and learning. Additionally, it offers insights into a range of projects and approaches that are inclusive and thoughtful, about ways to build meaningful and sustained interactions with children and their families (defined as those with caring responsibilities).
Chapter titles include Family Learning about ‘disadvantage’; Home Visiting to Support Early Literacy Development; Family Learning in Many Languages; Professional Development to Support Family Learning and A Manifesto for Family Learning - Birth to Five. A good range of topics to support, extend and direct the unpacking of practice whilst identifying aspects of potential bias that serve to support inequitable practices. An example of this is the way ‘disadvantage’ is used to describe contexts and situations as opposed to families. This nuance of language is important for an assets-based approach. However, I had a little niggle when I read about achievement and attainment gaps; does this see the strengths in children and ‘families’ as learners?
Overall, a thought provoking and well-informed read that prompts professionals to consider what works and why.
Sarah Hopkins, Early Years Operations Administrator at Scottish Book Trust, discusses The Eyebrows of Doom by Steve Smallman and Miguel Ordóñez. Sarah recommends this book for children aged two years and up.
‘Poor Dave felt so strange –everything seemed to change as the eyebrows took over his mind. And try as he might, he just couldn’t fight the urge to do something UNKIND.’
Fans of Steve Smallman’s Poo in the Zoo series will be delighted to hear that he’s back, this time teaming up with illustrator Miguel Ordóñez, with another hilarious, absurd tale of two evil eyebrows on a quest to take over the world.
There’s some mischief and unruly behaviour afoot in this caper, but luckily, a team of zoo animals and their keepers come together to banish the evil eyebrows for good… or so they think. The wild adventure of the two ‘slugs all covered in hair’ will have you and your young people laughing out loud and will
certainly become a firm favourite for both children and adults alike.
Ordóñez’s modern, big and bright illustrations go perfectly with the brilliant rhyme, and with lots of fun dialogue, this one is truly a delight to read aloud to your little ones. If you lack confidence in affecting silly accents – as children can often be the
harshest critics! – head to YouTube to watch Steve Carrell’s captivating rendition of the story for CBeebies for inspiration (and just a good time!).
This book is published by Little Tiger. You can find their other titles on their website at www.littletiger.co.uk. Steve Smallman is an author and illustrator, with a huge selection of great books under his belt. You can find out more about him at www.stevesmallman. co.uk. Miguel Ordóñez is an awardwinning illustrator, with a successful author-illustrator relationship with Jimmy Fallon earning him spots on the New York Times bestseller list. You can find out more about him at www.miguelordonez.es
Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years Programme Bookbug provides free Bookbug Sessions and free bags of books to every child in Scotland. Download the songs and rhymes app from the App Store or Google Play. Visit www.scottishbooktrust.com/ bookbug to find out more.
Gillian Paterson, Early Years Scotland Early Years Practitioner, shares her experience of reading with her daughter Isla.
As an early years practitioner, I know the importance of reading to your child. It has many different benefits such as developing their speech and language, encouraging imagination through reading, as well as creating a stronger bond between you. At the end of a busy day of work, nursery and cleaning, along with all the other Mum duties, there is nothing better than settling down after bathtime with a cosy cuddle and a favourite book with my daughter Isla.
Isla loves to come out of the bath, get her jammies on, brush her teeth, and then snuggle into her bed with a book. Isla enjoys picking a different book each night. The favourite story we have just now is ‘Mummy loves me’ written by Georgina Wren. Isla enjoys this book so much, but if it’s
Daddy’s turn to read her a story she asks him for ‘Daddy loves me’ written by Georgina Wren.
When we are about to start the story, I will ask her ‘Are you comfy?’. I then read the story to her using different tones for various parts and characters. Isla also likes to join in and ask lots of questions,
‘What are they doing?’ ‘Can we do this?’. This is great for Isla’s language development. As we go through our story Isla likes to stop and talk about something that we have done before. For example, the part in the story where they are in the pool Isla will talk about a time we have been swimming and then asks, ‘Can we go swimming?’. This is her remembering things we have done in the past and associating what’s happening in the book with her own life experiences. We continue with our story which could be a ten minute story book, but this usually takes us a lot longer as we enjoy talking about the different pictures and experiences within it. It’s great to spend some quality time with your child after a busy day. Cuddling up and enjoying a story is also a good way for my daughter to tell me things about her day, as she is settled, relaxed, and wanting to chat after her book, about her day. It’s also good for you as a parent to share your day with them.
Dr Una MacFadyen, retired Consultant Paediatrician and member of Children’s Health Scotland, highlights an important guideline which aims to support children and young people born preterm and their parents and carers, and healthcare, education and social care professionals.
In most nursery classes of twenty or more there are likely to be two or three children who were born premature. This means that they were born two weeks or more before their due date. A few of these children will have been born up to 15 weeks before term and may have health problems or significant developmental delay that is identified in their records and likely to lead to an assessment of needs and a plan for any additional support for their education. However, more are ‘Moderate and Late Preterm Infants’ with no obvious health problems and no identified developmental problems, but they may benefit from recognition of the potential benefit for education professionals being alert to the challenges that any preterm birth can pose.
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on ‘Developmental follow-up of children and young people born premature’ published in 2017, confirms that premature birth can impact on brain development in ways that may become apparent only in the long term, particularly in relation to specific sensory processing difficulties that can present as learning difficulties including dyscalculia, as well as dyslexia, or affect the pattern of emotional intelligence, maturity and forming relationships.
Every child is different, and many children born preterm do not differ from their peers in health, growth or development, but for some it may help to keep their early birth in mind when they seem to struggle with what is expected of them. Being born early may put their birthday into the ‘year ahead’ for nursery and school entry resulting in their classmates being almost a year older, physically bigger and developmentally more mature. In addition, the ex-premature child may find multiple sensory inputs overwhelming. This can show itself
Premature birth can impact on brain development in ways that may become apparent only in the long term
as apparent extreme shyness, ‘overreaction’ to busy, noisy or fast -moving situations (like the average nursery class). It is not always routine for information about children’s birth to be recorded but it can be very helpful to both parents and childcare professionals to have an understanding of its relevance. Often parents will be aware that this child is different from their other children in how they cope with new and exciting experiences, but they may find it hard to describe what they observe and so considering deferred school entry may not be explored or accepted as appropriate.
In paediatrics we have learnt that premature infants’ brain development is influenced by their early sensory input, and we practise ‘developmental care’ to try to optimise the creation of normal neural pathways and to minimise adverse or traumatic early experiences. We encourage effective positioning, limiting bright light exposure and noise levels and encouraging skin to skin ‘kangaroo care’ by parents to give positive touch, smell, sight, sound and limb and joint position (proprioception) input. Parents
are encouraged to be as involved as they want and feel able through an approach called Family Integrated Care (FiC) that aims to include them as key members of the team around their baby. With the knowledge and skills that parents share with the neonatal professionals they build their confidence as experts in interpreting their baby’s behavioural cues and taking appropriate action or seeking help effectively. This confidence prepares the family with ‘health literacy’ when communicating with health professionals that can enhance the communication when working with their GIRFEC contacts and Team around the Child*.
For some, but not all, young children who were born early, we may now be seeing the need for ‘less is more’ for stimulation and paced learning with quiet time-out options and more individualised learning plans to help this growing group of learners have the best childhood and future possible. As research progresses there are evidence based resources for education services that relate to different ages and stages now up to senior school but as always, the early years inputs build the foundation on which later health, learning, development, and wellbeing can grow.
*Team Around the Child is a network of practitioners who work together to agree a plan and delivery of support to meet a child or young person’s assessed needs. They work directly with the family or young person.
• To read the NICE guidelineDevelopmental follow-up of children and young people born preterm visit: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng72
• Visit: www.childrenshealthscotland. org
• Education resources – PRISM: www.nottingham.ac.uk/helm/dev/ prism/index.html
• Fathers Network: www. fathersnetwork.org.uk/
• GIRFEC: www.gov.scot/ publications/getting-right-childgirfec-policy-statement/pages/1/
• Family Integrated Care: https:// familyintegratedcare.com/
Early Years Scotland has some excellent informative podcasts available free to view in the professional learning section of our website.
How to put art at the heart of early years
Podcast host Lorna Kettles, Early Years Scotland’s Policy and Engagement Manager, engages in a thoughtful conversation with Heather Armstrong, Head of Early Years Development at Starcatchers. They discuss the importance of exposure to, and engagement with, the arts in early years.
Autism expert and friend of Early Years Scotland, Jim Taylor, talks to us about understanding autism in an early years context and increasing positive experiences for autistic children.
Autism and transitions
Jim Taylor takes a deeper dive into the topic of transitions among children and
young people who experience, or are affected by, autism.
Exploring early childhood development
Professor John McKendrick, CoDirector of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU), joins
us for a discussion on early childhood development, children’s play, and child poverty.
Becoming a better early years professional
Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Learning and Development Advisor, Alison Precup, joins us to talk about the role of the SSSC and how early years professionals can grow and develop their practice.
To enjoy the video podcasts, please visit www earlyyearsscotland.org/podcast. The podcasts are also available in audio format on Spotify, Google Play and other platforms.
• For further information about the work of the organisations featured in the podcasts, visit:
Starcatchers: www.starcatchers.org.uk SPIRU: www.gcu.ac.uk/aboutgcu/ academicschools/gsbs/research/spiru
JIm Taylor: Knows Autism: www.jimtaylorknowsautism.com SSSC: www.sssc.uk.com
T h e V i l l a g e i s a n i n d e p e n d e n t o n l i n e c o m m u n i t y f o r n e w a n d e x p e c t a n t p a r e n t s w i t h c a r e e x p e r i e n c e . W e w e l c o m e a n d a r e o p e n t o a n y o n e l o o k i n g a f t e r c h i l d r e n .
W e ' r e h e r e t o l e n d a c o n f i d e n t i a l l i s t e n i n g e a r a n d o f f e r h i n t s , t i p s a n d a d v i c e . Y o u c h o o s e h o w i n v o l v e d y o u ’ d l i k e t o b e . F i n d i n f o r m a t i o n , c l a i m f r e e b i e s , g e t o n e t o o n e s u p p o r t , c o n n e c t w i t h o t h e r s o r j o i n o u r p e e r m e n t o r i n g s c h e m e a s a m e n t e e o r a p e e r m e n t o r .
M e s s a g e a t e a m m e m b e r t o d a y t o l e a r n m o r e :
@ T h e V i l l a g e S c o t l a n d o n I n s t a g r a m
@ T h e V i l l a g e S c o t l a n d o n F a c e b o o k E m a i l u s a t h e l l o @ t h e v i l l a g e . o r g W h a t s A p p o n 0 7 8 5 0 7 2 5 7 4 0
S i g n u p t h e W h y N o t ? H u b a t w h y n o t h u b . o r g , o r d o w n l o a d t h e W h y N o t ? H u b a p p o n A p p l e o r G o o g l e P l a y b y s c a n n i n g t h e Q R c o d e b e l o w .
L e d b y t h e W h y N o t ? T r u s t i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h p a r e n t s w i t h c a r e e x p e r i e n c e , s u p p o r t e d b y E a r l y Y e a r s S c o t l a n d a n d S c o t t i s h A t t a c h m e n t i n A c t i o n .
Lorna Kettles, Early Years Scotland’s Policy and Engagement Manager, brings you up to date with our Planet Pledge.
At the 2022 Early Years Scotland annual conference, attendees were asked ‘What one thing has had the most positive effect in supporting your children, families and setting to become more sustainable to support the fight against climate change?’
Responses to this question formed the basis of the Early Years Scotland Planet Pledge, which was created and developed in collaboration with our staff and a sub-group of the Board. As well as the findings from the conference, the initial pledge paper demonstrated what Early Years Scotland had been doing as an organisation to support the fight against climate change and demonstrate positive action towards sustainability. As part of this process, we were able to distil all of the information received into four key areas of focus for the pledge, which can be accessed at earlyyearsscotland.org/about-us/earlyyears-scotland-planet-pledge
The pledge was launched to coincide with World Environment Day on the 5th June last year. EYS filmed a video in the Riverside Community Garden, attached to the Riverside Community Hall in Govan, where at the time we ran one of our Stay Play & Learn sessions. As well as outlining the rationale behind and purpose of the pledge, we took some beautiful shots of the children in the garden, where they were able to smell and touch the plants and even found a ladybird!
Childminder, Fiona Duncan-Kerr, describes the changes she has made since signing the Planet Pledge.
I signed us up for the Early Years Scotland Planet Pledge to give us a visual (certificate) reminder in the setting and something to evidence our ongoing commitment to the environment for when the Care Inspectorate visit. Our adventures away from home provide the perfect opportunity to explore different environments but also to do ‘forest shopping’ for our nature table and growing loose parts collection. We have gained a solid understanding of
The campaign supporting the pledge has been very well received - we have over 150 settings signed up and counting. As part of ongoing engagement, we have reached out to those who have signed up to the pledge to find out what they’ve been doing
As well as gaining a solid understanding of nature in our local community, we also appreciate the benefits of being outdoors for our physical and mental health
within their settings. These will also be shared on our website as part of a suite of peer learning, best practice resources. This is currently being worked on, with the aim to create a library of information which can be used by settings to tackle the climate emergency.
nature in our local community and actively seek opportunities to help care for it. We also appreciate the benefits of being outdoors for our physical and mental health. Our craft activities have drastically also changed - no more spending money on prescribed crafts and much more use of natural items and saving items from the recycling bin. We have reduced our impact on the wider environment by making better choices such as washable cloth baby wipes, rechargeable batteries, reducing how much plastic we buy, and using less paper. Not only do we have a more environmentally sustainable service but a more cost effective business model.
Glasgow Science Centre
8th July 2024, 3-5pm
FREE ENTRY
Have you ever wondered how your baby learns new things?
Do you want to learn how best to encourage your child to walk or talk, or promote good sleep?
This event will give parents and carers with 0-3-year-old infants, the opportunity to ask experts about their child's development in an open, accessible way - ranging from screens and sleep, to language and feeding. If you have questions or would just like to hear the latest on how baby and toddler brains develop, then please come!
The event will also feature talks from Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a world-famous innovator in playful learning, and from Anne Wood, the creator of Teletubbies and In the Night Garden.
www.infantstudies.org
