1. Early Years Education within the Scottish Context
Andrea Taylor and Amy McFarlane
November 2018

2. Outline of Workshop Introduction A Blueprint for 2020
Growing Up in Scotland
The Scottish Attainment Challenge
Upskilling the Workforce
Professional Development Opportunities - Our own Experiences
Open Discussion - Early Years Provision from a Wider Perspective
Conclusions
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

3. A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland.
“The provision of universally accessible and high quality ELC enriches children with skills and confidence to carry into their schooling, and is a cornerstone for closing the poverty-related attainment gap between our most and least advantaged children.” Scottish Government, 2017 pp2
Quality
Flexibility
Accessibility
Affordability
Launched on 15 October 2016, the Blueprint for 2020, sets out Scotland’s vision for an expansion that will almost double entitlement to free early learning and childcare (ELC) to 1140 hours per year by 2020 for all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds. That vision is underpinned by clear guiding principles of Quality, Flexibility, Accessibility and Affordability. (Scottish Government, 2017)
Read slide.
The main thread of the action plan is quality- by ensuring that children get the high quality early years experiences they deserve to help them succeed in life, it also recognises the value of practitioners and their key role in providing children with the best possible start.
Flexibility- the expansion will support more parents and carers in work, training or study, through greater choice of provider and patterns of provision that are better aligned with working patterns whilst delivering this in a way that ensures a high quality experience for the child.
Accessibility- capacity is sufficient and is as conveniently geographically located as possible – particularly in areas of higher deprivation and in rural communities – to support both these children and also enable parents and carers to work, train and study.
Affordability- the expansion will increase access to affordable ELC which will help to reduce barriers to participating in the labour market which parents and carers currently face
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

4. Growing Up in Scotland Clip
The Scottish Government has funded Growing Up in Scotland, a longitudinal study that has involved 14,000 children since its launch in 2005.
The main aim of the study is to provide new information to support policy-making in Scotland, such as the Blueprint, but it is also intended to provide a resource for practitioners, academics, the voluntary sector and parents.
Show clip
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

5. Key findings:
As we heard from the clip, by age 5, children with parents who have no qualifications, are around 12 months behind the average child with vocabulary and 10 months behind in problem solving ability.
Children born in 2010/11 (BC2) were more likely than children born in 2004/5 (BC1) to be living in households with at least one adult educated to degree level (42% versus 34%), a rise of 8%.
Experiencing a wide range of activities from an early age does have an impact on cognitive development and can moderate – although by no means eradicate – the effects of socio-demographic advantage.
On average, 4 year olds in 2014 spent just over two hours per week longer at their main Early Learning & Childcare provider than 4 year olds in 2008/09.
Attending a pre-school setting with a higher care and support grade, as awarded by Care Inspectorate, was associated with better vocabulary ability at age five.
Let’s take a look at some of the key findings.
Read Slide
All of this reminds us of the importance of the education levels of adults providing care and support, both parents and practitioners in ELC settings.
“We know from the Growing Up in Scotland study that, children are no less likely, compared to those from more advantaged backgrounds, to attend pre-school settings of the highest quality. This means that ELC can play a key role in closing the attainment gap.” (Blueprint 2020, Scottish Government, 2017)
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

6. The Scottish Attainment Challenge
“The Scottish Attainment Challenge is about achieving equity in education. This can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap.” Scottish Government (2016)
The Scottish Attainment Challenge was launched by the First Minister in February 2015.
Read Slide (top)
It focuses on improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in specific areas of Scotland. It will also support and complement the broader range of initiatives and programmes to ensure that all of Scotland's children and young people reach their full potential. Key priorities are improving attainment in Literacy and numeracy. Improve health and wellbeing of young people in Scotland and improving employability skills and school leaver destinations.
The Pupil Equity Fund is being provided as part of the £750 million Attainment Scotland Fund and is allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap.
Read slide (bottom)
Every council area is benefitting from Pupil Equity Funding and 95% of schools in Scotland have been allocated funding for pupils in P1-S3 based upon known to be eligible for free school meals.
This funding is to be spent at the discretion of the school.
The £750 million Attainment Scotland Fund is focused on supporting pupils in local authorities of Scotland with the highest concentrations of deprivation. Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) will be allocated directly to schools.
In £120 million was distributed.
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

7. Upskilling the Workforce
The introduction of the BA Childhood Practice in 2009 has increased the number of non-teacher graduates who have specialist early years expertise and knowledge.
Approximately 1,200 have now graduated with this degree [March 2017].
Scottish Social Services Council estimate that around 280 people complete graduate-level courses each year.
The introduction of the M.Ed Early Years (offered by the University of Strathclyde and the University of Aberdeen) in has also enhanced skills at post-graduate level, with an annual intake of around students each year.
So, the Scottish Government, as we have heard, is investing money in schools to close the attainment gap. As discussed, the Scottish Government plans to almost double entitlement to free early learning and childcare by With this in mind, consideration must be given to upskilling the early years workforce.
So what has been done?
READ SLIDE
The Scottish Government goes on to pledge:
“We will continue to invest in graduate and post-graduate level training specifically to promote early years education.”
BACP is funded by Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), depending on income, and alternatively by local authorities.
The M.Ed Early Years is fully funded by the Scottish Government.
The impact of these qualifications is noted within the Blueprint:
“The Education Scotland [2012] report, ‘Making the Difference: The impact of staff qualifications on children’s learning in early years’, found that the graduate-level qualifications (specifically, the BA Childhood Practice Award) were having a positive impact on children’s learning in the early years.” (Blueprint 2020, Scottish Government, 2017)
All of this brings us back to the main thread of the action plan, which is quality, ensuring that children get the high quality early years experiences they deserve, to help them succeed in life, whilst recognising the value of appropriately qualified practitioners and their key role in providing children with the best possible start.

8. Professional Development Opportunities: Our own Experiences
We wanted to share how this government investment in upskilling the early years workforce has benefited us as professionals.
Amy- Masters EY Gov funded and now working in EY department UoA
Andrea - Video background:
Video for the Early Learning & Childcare Academy
EL&C Academy is a venture between Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire & Moray Councils, along with Skills Development Scotland (Aberdeen City & Shire), Aberdeen University & North East Scotland College.
Aim: To provide a website with information for anyone interested in training & progression within the early years sector.
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

9. Open Discussion: Early Years Provision from a Wider Perspective
Early Years Education within the Scottish Context

10. Andrea Taylor and Amy McFarlane
Thank you
Andrea Taylor and Amy McFarlane
November 2018