Category: National Guidance

#ArtyMathsFalkirk – Keep Going

 

After another week of celebrating all things Maths as part of Scottish Maths Week, it is important to think about what’s been achieved.

First of all, I want to say a huge WELL DONE and THANK YOU to everyone across Falkirk’s ELC community for showing, once again, that you are on a mission! As a community, you are always keen to support our initiatives and with a gentle spark, you really embrace the opportunity to develop memorable experiences for children.

Photo: Courtesy of Sacred Heart ELC Class via Twitter

What have you learned about the children and and yourselves?

The energy and enthusiasm shown during Maths Week is very special, so we need to make sure that we reflect on what went well and what have we learned. When we know this, we can keep going and keep improving.

This year we asked you to think about where is the Mathematics in Art. In doing so, we wanted to provide you with the opportunity to look closely at children as they play but through the lens of asking: “where’s the Maths?”

Photo: Courtesy of Queen Street ELC Centre via Twitter

In doing this, I am sure you realised that, even over a short window of time, the awesome potential that  young children have to think and behave mathematically, appropriate to their developmental stage, of course. You will have, I’m sure, noticed children being highly competent in their knowledge of a broad range of essential foundational mathematical concepts.

In using Art as a context, you’ve also been give a reminder that foundations of Maths is more than numerals and counting. Counting is vitally important and we need to make sure we find lots of natural ways, relevant to children, to support them to recognise numbers and count objects. Absolutely.

“Numeracy is not just about being able to count. It is about developing number sense which encourages creativity of thought and it allows children to interact with the world around them”. Realising the Ambition, page 74

But, let’s not forget that for children to develop reasoning skills, essential for the mathematical brain to develop, we must support a range of other essential concepts: Matching. Sorting. Grouping. Categorising. Time. Pattern. Shape. Measure. Movement.

Photo: Courtesy of Wellside Kingergarten via Twitter

So, what next?

You mustn’t lose what you’ve started.

Now that you know what children are capable of, you must keep looking for the Maths within the rich experiences you are offering to children.

Think: how am I seeing the child thinking and behaving mathematically?

Make sure children get the credit for what they know and can do.

After maths week, I am sure children’s profiles will be full of rich observations with numeracy and mathematics featuring prominently. But, for progress to be maintained, you have to keep looking and noting as children play: What maths am I seeing now? What is new? What is different? What is important? What is surprising?

Support and Guidance
This is a good time to remind you all about the excellent resource from Education Scotland. You can find the materials on the National improvement Hub here.

Please take time to read the Guidance Document first of all. It’s only 8 pages long but it talks specifically about Early Level and the important connections with Realising the Ambition.

The other materials, for each of the key areas of Numeracy and Maths within the curriculum, have an Early Level section. I am delighted to say that there is an explicit and very helpful focus on play pedagogy and in keeping with Realising the Ambition.

You can also take a look on Twitter at the fabulous learning throughout Maths Week in Falkirk by clicking the links below:

#ArtyMathsFalkirk
#ELCArtyMaths

 

 

 

 

**NEW** Team Twitter

The EY central team now has a team twitter account @fceyteam to help you find out what’s happening in the world of early learning in Falkirk.

 

Individual team members shared still have their own Twitter accounts and will be very happy to still communicate with you that way.

The Early Learning Improvement Team:

Lisa McCabe – Education Team Manager (@FCLisaMcCabe)

Susan McElhatton – Curriculum Support Officer (@McelhattonSusan)

Fiona Pascall – Peripatetic Early Years Teacher (@fionapascallEY)

Cheryl Smyth – Peripatetic Early Years Teacher (@CherylSmyth15)

Elaine Craigen – Peripatetic Early Years Teacher (@elaine_craigen)

Margaret Aitken – Training & Development Officer (@MargaretDAitken)

Karen Thomson – 1140 Programme Manager & Childcare Provision Co-ordinator (@Falkirk1140)

Rehana Ali – Customer & Business Support Assistant

We felt that a Team Twitter account would help us to co-ordinate key messages a bit better so that you are all connected-in easily.

If you are one of our early learning colleagues, and you are a Twitterer, please make sure you follow us @fceyteam

We would love your posts about the fab-u-lous distance learning and family engagement you are providing to flood our team twitter, so please tag us as much as you can.

Our main endeavour as a team over the coming weeks is to support your professional learning and development so that you can be gainfully occupied when not in the hubs.

Our team will post a blog each week to share with you the most up-to-date learning opportunities and to give guidance on how best to log and record your learning.

In the meantime, it is vital that you take time to read and digest the messages from Realising the Ambition – Scotland’s refreshed national practice guidance for early learning.

The professional learning pack on the National Improvement Hub helps guide your learning and offers reflection questions. It would be good to use every opportunity you have, for example via Microsoft Teams, to talk and think about RtA with colleagues in your setting and maybe those across Falkirk!

Should you have any specific requests and/or ideas about professional learning, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You could maybe drop us a wee tweet just to let us know you have found us!

#ourchildrenfirst #makingfalkirkproud #joininfalkirk #playisthewayFC

New Loose Parts Toolkit 2019 Edition

I know many of you have been keenly awaiting the publication of the Loose Parts Toolkit 2019. Find it here https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/publication/loose-parts-play-toolkit-2019-edition/

I am especially pleased to be recommending the toolkit to you due to the emphasis in the document on the role of the adult, which is one of our big priorities this session. Chapter 3 is a must read.

I’d love to read your comments about the document and would be grateful for any advice /support for others you’d like to share. Read more

NEW – ELC Materials on National Improvement Hub in one place

All ELC support materials are now situated in one place on the National Improvement Hub.

Education Scotland have responded to feedback from users who said that materials and resources were hard to find.

Being collected in the one space within the Hub saves meaningless searches. It is also great to know the totality of materials that are available to help drive forward improvement for our wee fab Falkirk folk.

Make sure you save this link in your favourites and familiarise yourself with some great materials and resources.

Click here to spring into the ELC section of the National Improvement Hub

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.

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.’

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

Loose Parts Play

The Early Years Curriculum team are aware that many of Falkirk’s EYC settings have been or currently are focusing on developing their use loose parts as part of their provision. Inspiring Scotland have produced a toolkit which we would encourage practitioners within these settings to use to reflect on their provision of loose parts play. The Loose Parts Play toolkit was produced to support people working with children and young people across all age ranges and settings. It aims:
• To raise awareness of the value of loose parts to children’s play
• To provide practical guidance about loose parts play to those who work with children and young people of all ages
• To advocate the use of loose parts as an approach to developing play opportunities at home, school and in the community.

 

https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Loose-Parts-Play-web.pdf

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