Nursery World - Learning & Development: Early Education

In the fifth part of our series marking the tenth decades of Nursery World and Early Education, Aline-Wendy Dunlop reflects on the early years tradition, and its current state, in Scotland

In today’s Scotland, much of what happens for young children, in what is now referred to as ‘Early Learning and Childcare’, is driven by Government policy and interpreted in different ways by each of our 32 local councils. Aspirations for children are ambitious; Building the Ambition(Scottish Government 2014) sets out the values and priorities for working with our young children soundly enough.

Guidance for pre-birth to three and curriculum experiences and outcomes drive what practitioners do. A dual approach to quality of provision encourages self-evaluation of practice, but at the same time quality has become something measured through inspection bodies. There is currently a move to refocus the education system, including in early childhood. In August 2016, A Statement for Practitioners from HM Chief Inspector of Education asserted the two key priorities are:

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