Category Archives: Professional Learning

Professional Learning, Sharing Good Practice

🔨🪚🌿Summer of CLPL 📸🪡🔬

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For the third consecutive summer we are delighted to have delivered CLPL opportunities to over 300 participants during our CLPL week. Following feedback, we will continue to consider how best to offer these opportunities throughout the year.

This year we delivered, STEM through a Froebelian Lens 🪡🧱📃🍡, Zoom in Zoom out 🔬🔍, Outdoor Learning 🌿, Role Play 🥻👗🦸‍♀️, Digital Pedagogy 📲 🔦, Making Maths count 🔢 and, enabling environments 🛖.

We were also delighted to host Pete Moorhouse who came to Kintore to deliver a full day of Woodwork Training 🪚🔨 to 50 participants and a full day of STEM the four Elements 📸🧱🖇️🧵 to 30 participants. These sessions, alongside the refreshments 🥐 (Woodwork) and the goody bags 🛍️ (STEM) were funded through a grant we received from CNOOC. Thank you to Nicola Scott from the Early Years team for applying for the grant and co-ordinating the days with Pete Moorhouse.

For more information on Pete Moorhouse and his inspirational CLPL including free ideas and downloads, please visit his website: Irresistible Learning – https://irresistible-learning.co.uk/

Podcasts

ELC Podcast August 2026 – An Introduction to the Curriculum Improvement Cycle

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Our first podcast for the Curriculum Improvement Cycle details what is changing, what is staying the same and how we will support going forward. It is a 14 minute recording.

First Explainer Document – FINAL Curriculum Improvement Cycle Explainer for Teachers and Practitioners – designed v.1

Second Explainer Document – CIC Explainer 2 draft updated

CIC Webpage with draft sample materials – Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC): Early Draft Sample materials June 2026 – Curriculum Improvement Cycle

Podcasts

Session 1: The ELC Blog Is Live! Join Us for Our First Podcast Episode

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In this short launch episode, we introduce our brand‑new Aberdeenshire ELC Blog page and chat about what you can expect to find there, from inspiring practice to helpful updates and future episodes – but we won’t spoil it all here; tune in to hear what’s coming, how you can get involved, and why we’re so excited to share this new space with you.

Professional Learning, Sharing Good Practice

New Deer ELC – Bookbug Sessions

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Since completing our Bookbug Training we have had various sessions in nursery, inviting parents and families. We have tried different times in the morning and afternoon. We always have a few parents attend with siblings. Before Christmas we had a Bookbug in the community, held at the Church Centre. A few families from the community came along and enjoyed the session with the nursery.

This term we had a Bedtime Bookbug in the school hall. This was at 6pm and children came in their Pyjamas. We had 27 children attend this session. Children from the nursery, from the school and the community. We made the room cosy and comfy and dark with a few lamps. We got very positive feedback from all the families that attended.

We also had a Grandparents Bookbug session, we ran this alongside Pancake Day. We baked pancakes and invited the Grandparents in for a pancake then they stayed for a Bookbug session. This was well attended and everyone involved had something positive to say about the morning.

Professional Learning

Summer of STEM – August 2025

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We were delighted with the uptake and feedback from our Summer of STEM which ran from the 11th – 15th of August. There were 13 different packages delivered over the five days, including 4 which were delivered by Education Scotland’s STEM Education Officer, Hazel Gardner. In total, over 300 practitioners attended the sessions over the week.

At the end of each session, we gathered feedback on that package, which has been hugely useful in allowing us to amend packages and plan for future delivery.