Young children across the Capital are benefitting from an innovative approach to transforming the early years learning and childcare landscape by the City of Edinburgh Council …
Education convener Ian Perry and Vice Convener Alison Dickie performed the official opening of Ferryhill’s new nursery on Wednesday. The visit doubtless brought back some fond memories for Alison, who was formerly a teacher at the primary school in Drylaw. Continue reading New nursery opened at Ferryhill
A childcare trial encouraging parents to stay, play and learn with their children has been praised by Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Mark McDonald. Continue reading Parents get involved in Stay, Play and Learn
The winning design for the national roll-out of Scotland’s Baby Box is a forest fairy tale scene complete with Highland cows, squirrels and the Loch Ness Monster. It will feature on boxes to be given to every new-born from this Summer until March 2019. Continue reading Winning baby box design revealed
Money for more nursery teachers and graduates in deprived areas
More teachers and graduates are to be recruited for nurseries in deprived areas in Scotland through a £1.5 million investment to expand early learning and childcare, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. An extra 435 graduates will be in place by 2018, with every local authority area set to increase their nursery staff numbers.
Edinburgh will get an extra twenty graduates under the initiative – either a teacher with early years expertise or a graduate practitioner with the BA Childhood Practice award.
The funding is the first step towards realising the commitment to ensure nurseries in the most deprived areas benefit from an additional graduate by 2018 – either a teacher with early years expertise or a graduate practitioner with the BA Childhood Practice award.
Making the announcement while visiting the nursery at Gorebridge Primary School, the First Minister said: “Increasing the number of teachers and graduates in nurseries is absolutely crucial to tackling the attainment gap right from the start of a child’s education.
“We all recognise the importance of high quality early learning and childcare to the development of our young people, and access to the right staff with the right expertise is key to this.
“By providing the best possible start in life we can ensure our young people develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential, we know this is particularly true for children who face the greatest disadvantage.
“That is why, as part of this commitment, we are investing £1.5 million in 2017-18 to train additional teachers and graduates. By targeting these additional resources in Scotland’s most disadvantaged areas we can improve attainment and make sure every child born in Scotland has an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their background.”
Minister for Childcare and Early Years Mark McDonald (above) said: “This is an extremely exciting time for early learning and childcare as we take forward the most significant expansion ever seen in Scotland – almost doubling free provision to 1140 hours by 2020.
“During this expansion our priority is to ensure quality remains at the heart of the program and a diverse, highly skilled workforce is key to achieving this.
“We will work closely with local authorities to deliver this commitment in a way which maximises the number of children who will benefit.”
The announcement has been welcomed by local politicians, who say the increased free provision to 1140 hours by 2020 will have a positive impact for families across Edinburgh.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Ben Macpherson said: “This new funding is very welcome news for Edinburgh, helping to ensure that more children in our most deprived communities are able to benefit from specialised childcare and high quality early years learning.
“The Scottish Government is committed to closing the attainment gap, and targeting funding in this way, as well as expanding the guaranteed free childcare provision to 1140 hours by 2020, is important in making this happen, and to ensure that every child across Edinburgh gets an equal start in life.
“The 20 new graduates or teachers that will be joining our workforce in Edinburgh will help improve childcare provision in our communities, and I look forward to seeing the Scottish Government continue to invest in our children’s futures.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Vice-Convenor of Education, Children and Families, Cathy Fullerton said: “I would like to thank the Scottish Government for their continued commitment to improving the lives of our children. These 20 new posts will give children from deprived communities, such as my own ward, a better start to life.”
A consultation seeking views on the future expansion of free Early Learning and Childcare will start next week. The announcement was made by Mark McDonald, Minister for Childcare and Early Years, during a parliamentary debate on the expansion of early learning and childcare.
The consultation will set out the Scottish Government’s vision for transforming early learning and childcare. This will be underpinned by four principles of quality, flexibility, accessibility and affordability.
Views are being sought on areas including future funding options and models of delivery. Providers, practitioners, delivery partners and, parents and families are being asked to take part.
Mr McDonald said: “High quality early learning and childcare plays a vital role in narrowing the attainment gap which is why this Government has gone further than any other in our commitment to expanding free entitlement.
“Increasing the number of funded hours for all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds from 600 hours to 1,140 hours is our most transformative infrastructure project. No other policy has such potential to change the lives of children and their families while improving the prospects of Scotland’s economy in the short and long term.
“The financial review of early learning and childcare provision published earlier this week provided a comprehensive picture of the current landscape in Scotland. We have made substantial progress in recent years but we must do more.
“It is vital we keep up momentum, working closely with all interested parties to ensure we continue to improve and adapt the way free childcare provision is delivered in Scotland.”
Financial review of early learning and childcare in Scotland: the current landscape is available here.
Respondents will be able to submit their views through an online survey, via email or post.
Judy Murray has teamed up with the PlayTalkRead campaign to encourage parents and carers of babies and toddlers to ‘Play Ball’ with their wee ones. Continue reading Aileen and Judy have a ball!
new ad campaign to support childrens’ literacy and numeracy
Parents and families have a key role to play in helping their children to read, write and count well and a new TV and supermarket-based advertising campaign has been launched to encourage and help parents to support their children’s learning beyond the classroom. Continue reading Help them shine
Early learning initiative will focus on P1 – P3s
Parents and families have a key role to play in helping their children to read, write and count well. That’s the message from Read, Write, Count, a new Government-led campaign aimed at children in Primaries 1 to 3.
The campaign, which was launched yesterday, will build on the Scottish Government’s PlayTalkRead early years campaign by encouraging parents and families to include reading, writing and counting in their everyday activities, such as walking around the supermarket or travelling home from school.
The campaign, which will be delivered in partnership with Education Scotland and Scottish Book Trust, builds on existing Scottish Government efforts to tackle educational inequalities and raise attainment in early years and beyond.
As part of the campaign, all P1-3 children will receive a gift of books and literacy and numeracy learning materials through their school. Outreach will be provided in some communities to support parents, families and communities to make the most of these resources. Resources will be available for children in both English and Gaelic medium education.
Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Ensuring children read, write and count well early is key to their success at school and in life. There’s lots of really good work already underway across Scotland and Read, Write, Count will bring some exciting new and fun ideas into the mix.
“Crucially, it will encourage parents and families to play a key role in helping their children – something all the evidence suggests can have a big impact on how well children do at school.
“I was proud to launch PlayTalkRead nationally in 2011, which encouraged parents to play, talk and read more often with their children. Read, Write, Count takes the idea of learning further.
“It’s understandable that any parent or carer could feel daunted about playing a part in their child’s education. That’s why our campaign offers support on bringing fun and learning in to everyday activities with their child to make life happier and easier.
“Whether it’s in the supermarket, on the way to school, at bedtime or sitting down for a meal, learning isn’t just for classrooms or homework. Read, Write, Count offers some great ideas on how adults and children can have fun learning and sharing together. I would urge parents, carers and the primary pupils themselves to check out the website for ideas on how to get involved.”
Sophie Moxon, Deputy Director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is delighted to be working together with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland to deliver Read, Write Count. The campaign builds on the success of our existing Bookbug programme to deliver a new, exciting campaign for P1-3.
“Gifting a pack of high quality books and literacy and numeracy resources directly into the hands of every pupil in P1–3, coupled with strong community outreach, will make a fundamental contribution to the lives and prospects of all children in Scotland, especially those in our most disadvantaged communities.”
For more information and resources on Read, Write, Count, visit www.readwritecount.scot.
Benji the PlayTalkRead bus is coming to North Edinburgh next week:
You can catch Benji at
West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on MONDAY 9 March
Muirhouse Library on TUESDAY 10 March
Pennywell Road Shops THURSDAY 12 March
Don’t miss the bus!
Benji-Edinburgh-March-2015-Poster-Small
‘Education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Funding for free nursery places delivering early learning and childcare will double over the term of the next Parliament, increasing opportunities for families and giving children the best start in life, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged.
In a speech on education at the David Hume Institute in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon laid out the Scottish Government’s ambition to see every child have the educational opportunities that she herself benefitted from.
During her address, the First Minister set out the contribution education makes to tackling inequality and growing the economy, focusing on the importance of all children, no matter their background, having the best opportunities through early learning and childcare, strong school education and wider access to higher education.
In a move she described as ‘one of the best investments any government can possibly make’, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that free early learning and childcare provision would rise to 30 hours per week, matching the time children spend each week in primary school, by the end of the next Parliament.
Committing to funding this expansion, she pledged that by 2019/20 annual revenue spend on early learning and childcare will have increased from an anticipated £439 million this year to around £880 million.
The First Minister said: “Today I want to highlight some of the areas where we can and must do better. In particular, I want to focus on how inequality in attainment – starting in the very early years, and persisting into adulthood – is weakening our society, holding back our economy, and constraining the life chances of too many of our fellow citizens.
“Early Learning and childcare promotes opportunity twice over. It enables parents to enter the workforce now and provide a better standard of living for their children, and it helps all children to make the most of their potential later in life. It’s one of the best investments any government can possibly make.
“In my view, it is central to any enlightened view of what modern Scotland should look like and that is why it is such a driving priority of my government. That’s why I can confirm today my intention that spending on early learning and care will double over the course of the next parliament.
“That’s in addition to the extra capital spending we will provide. The great capital investment project of this parliament is the Queensferry Crossing. If I am re-elected as First Minister next year, I intend that the great infrastructure project of the next parliament will be perhaps less visible, but arguably even more transformational.
“It will be the investment in care and learning facilities needed to ensure our early years provision matches our primary school provision. These facilities will create a bridge to a better future for children and families across the country.”
Addressing the need to widen access to university Ms Sturgeon said: “When I became First Minister, I set out the clear ambition that a child born today in one of our most deprived communities should, by the time he or she leaves school, have the same chance of going to university as a child born in one of our least deprived communities.
“And let me stress that – the same chance. Not just a better chance than they have today. But the same chance as anyone else. In other words, where you are born and brought up and your parents’ circumstances will not be the driver of how likely you are to go to university.
“But to ensure we’re doing everything we can, as early as we can, we are establishing a Commission on Widening Access. The Commission will propose milestones, measure progress, and identify improvements. It will be central to ensuring that our ambition of equal access within a generation becomes a reality.
“It is part of a far broader approach to post-school learning. After all, the key test we need to apply is not whether learning takes place in college, at work or in university. It’s whether the learning is relevant, engaging and widens people’s opportunities.
“So since 2007 we’ve focused colleges on promoting skills which help people to work, and which support economic growth. The number of students gaining recognised qualifications has increased by a third in the last 5 years.”
Ms Sturgeon concluded: “So from supporting mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, to helping people gain their first experience of work, this government is committed to promoting opportunities and reducing inequalities. That’s not something that Government, schools, colleges and universities can do on our own – although our role is hugely important. It’s got to be part of a shared endeavour.
“I want Scotland to be a land of opportunity – a country where every individual, regardless of background or race or gender, gets the chance to fulfil his or her potential. Can that be achieved? Yes, I believe it can and education is the key.
“The removal of obstructions to education, and the opening up of new opportunities, has been the focus of many of the major initiatives of my first 100 days. It is a subject which will receive sustained attention for as long as my government holds office. Because education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today. And it is at the heart of the fairer, more prosperous Scotland, that all of us seek to build.”
