Author: Mrs Robertson

Block Play – Block Building in the Early Years

** This learning resource is available on the National Improvement Hub
In Falkirk we can use this resource to support reflective practice and to challenge our thinking as to what makes effective learning environments for the promotion of creativity, curiosity and inquiry; and to identify next steps.
How to use this Learning and assessment resource to improve practice?

The resource can be used by individuals and groups of practitioners to support professional learning to develop understanding and support practice in relation to block play.

Links have been made throughout to theories of early learning that support the importance of block play. Links to further reading have been provided to deepen knowledge and understanding.

The resource outlines the different stages of block play and how this relates to children’s development and learning

 

https://education.gov.scot/improvement/documents/elc27-block-play.pptx

 

 

 

 

New SSSC Learning Resources to Support Early Learning Workforce

The SSSC has launched new learning resources to support early learning and childcare workers

The free digital resources can support our Falkirk’s EYC staff in continuing to develop good practice  within the areas of:

  • Observing children
    This online practice simulator allows workers to observe children at play while in different workplace settings to help them develop observation and recording skills, which play a key role in early learning and childcare.
  • Child development
    This app is an essential reference for early years practitioners in Scotland containing important aspects of national guidance and a mix of information and real world activities to support practice.
  • Mentoring for early learning and childcare services
    This app will help you implement a mentoring programme in your early learning and childcare service. We’ve designed it to help your service reach its potential and to support the continuous professional development of workers.

Falkirk’s Early Learning CLPL – Our 2019/20 Offer

Regular engagement in high quality makes the difference between good and great professionals.

Our 2019/20 CLPL programme aims to support our educators to deliver the very best outcomes for children.

The programme is aligned to the 4 workstreams of our QIStrategyEYTeam20192020.

Click on the Professional Learning option on the menu tab on the home page to find and sign-up for professional learning sessions or click here https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fa/falkirkearlyyears/calendar/

Remember: There are many resources and materials to support in-house professional learning including these new resources:

  • Children’s involvement in the planning process.
  • Using observations to shape planning for children’s learning.
  • Effective planning to meet learner’s needs.
  • Effective early years planning meetings.

Click on this link to access these materials and more (you require a Glow account and this is only accessible to Falkirk  Council staff).

 

 

Guidance on Nappy Changing Facilities for Early Learning and Childcare Services – June 2018

In our Falkirk nurseries,  when practitioners are caring for young children who use nappies, they must have appropriate facilities. These facilities must provide children with a safe, clean environment and appropriate equipment, while promoting privacy and dignity.

Appropriate nappy changing and personal care facilities are essential for the health and wellbeing of children and of staff.  This guidance explains the standards when providing nappy changing or personal care facilities for young children. It is important that everyone who plans, provides or uses early learning and childcare settings is aware of the expected nappy changing facilities they must have.

Nappy Changing Guidance

 

 

Bringing More Play into the School Day

Play Scotland have created a new toolkit

“Play is key to raising attainment”
Scottish Government

Play Scotland Toolkit

Play Scotland’s Play Types Toolkit is for schools and education professionals, and others working with children in various settings.

Playing is an integral part of children’s day in many educational and childcare settings.  Children play before the bell goes in the morning; at playtime and lunchtime; and after school ends.  Increasingly, playing is part of class time across Scotland too.  Falkirk Council staff an use this resource to help recognise the interconnections between playing, learning, growing, developing, being healthy and being happy.

Who is the Toolkit for?

The Play Types Toolkit is intended for schools and education professionals though we are sure people in other settings will also find it useful.

The aim is to highlight the range of types of play children experience, their vital contribution to learning and development, and to make integration of play into the curriculum simpler.

What do we mean by play types?

Play types can simply be described as the different behaviors we can see when children are playing.

This toolkit uses the play types from play theorist Bob Hughes’ Play Types – Speculations and Possibilities in which he explains that ‘each play type is both distinctly and subtly different from the others.  It is useful to be able to recognise them since engaging in each one is a necessary conrollary for a child’s healthy development.’

Falkirk Opens Doors to Play Conference

Play is the Way Conference for Falkirk’s Practitioners – Saturday, 2 June

It was fantastic to see so many dedicated practitoners demonstrating their passion for developing play pedagogy across Falkirk.

The conference was planned to support practitioners in taking forward a developmentally appropriate approach with children at the early stages of their learning by offering insight into current thinking exemplifying emerging practice in high quality play -based learning.

Those who attended, heard from a range of inspirational speakers from both within and outwith the aurthority.

Use your Falkirk Glow account to access confernce presentations and infomation using the link below.

Conference presentations

New Health and Social Care Standards

 

 

The new Health and Social Care Standards have now been published and will be rolled out from April 2018.

National Care Standards were developed with people who use care services and they say what a good quality care service should be like.

Every child across Falkirk Council is entitled to high quality care and support tailored towards their particular needs and choices. These Standards are hugely important to ensure that everyone in Scotland receives the care and support that is right for them. In Falkirk, staff in nurseries should use the standards to check the quality of the service they provide for children and families.

Our nurseries should reflect:

Dignity

  • Be treated with dignity and respect at all times; and
  • Enjoy a full range of social relationships.

Privacy

  • Have your privacy and property respected; and
  • Be free from unnecessary intrusion.

Choice

  • Make informed choices, while recognising the rights of other people to do the same; and
  • Know about the range of choices.

Safety

  • Feel safe and secure in all aspects of life, including health and well-being;
  • Enjoy safety but not be over-protected; and
  • Be free from exploitation and abuse.

Realising potential

  • Achieve all you can;
  • Make full use of the resources that are available to you;
  • Make the most of your life.

Equality and diversity

Live an independent life, rich in purpose, meaning and personal fulfilment

  • Be valued for your ethnic background, language, culture and faith;
  • Be treated equally and be cared for in an environment which is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination; and
  • Be able to complain effectively without fear of victimisation

Our Creative Journey – New Resource

The Care Inspectorate has launched a new resource showing how the expressive arts can be used effectively in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings.

Our Creative Journey is aimed at promoting good practice in all types of ELC settings.  The resource employs the GIRFEC wellbeing indicators to provide high quality, real-life examples of how settings’ creative use of the expressive arts have had positive results.  We in Falkirk will use this resource in our own ELC settings to look outwards and then reflect on how well our own expressive arts provision impacts children and young people’s lives.

Our Creative Journey

Moderation Hub launched

 

A new resource, the ‘Moderation Hub’, has been launched on Glow to provide practitioners at every level, from every sector, regardless of role and remit, with a package of support for all aspects of the moderation cycle. It is a virtual learning environment providing:

  • Professional learning on moderation (in the form of presentations and discussion/workshop tasks)
  •  An in-depth look at each step of the moderation cycle
  •  A one-stop shop for key documentation (including quality assurance and moderation documents and self-evaluation proformas)

The moderation cycle, which replaces the NAR flowchart, outlines each stage of the moderation process and enables practitioners to develop a shared understanding of standards and expectations in the broad general education.

In Falkirk, we would expect all of our practitioners to engage in this moderation process to support them to arrive at valid and reliable decisions on learners’ progress within the levels of a Curriculum for excellence.

 

Moderation Hub