How Good is Scottish Early Learning and Childcare?

Welcome to our exploration of Scottish early learning and childcare, with a particular focus on Airdrie Nursery. Scotland’s approach to early childhood education has gained significant attention, setting benchmarks for quality and innovation. Airdrie Nursery, a prominent example in this sector, epitomises the standards and practices that contribute to the overall effectiveness of Scottish early learning.

In Scotland, early learning and childcare (ELC) is more than just a preparatory stage for formal education; it is a critical period for holistic child development. This sector’s commitment to nurturing a child’s social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth is evident in its well-structured programmes and qualified educators. Airdrie Nursery serves as a case study to delve into these aspects, showcasing how they are implemented in a real-world setting.

Our focus will encompass a range of factors that contribute to the quality of early learning in Scotland. From curriculum design, educator qualifications, and the learning environment itself, every element plays a vital role in shaping the experiences and outcomes for children. Airdrie Nursery, with its tailored approach and innovative practices, serves as an excellent representation of what Scottish ELC has to offer.

Join us in this exploration as we unravel the layers that make Scottish Early Learning and Childcare a model worth examining and understanding. Whether you are a parent, educator, or just an interested observer, this insight into Airdrie Nursery and the wider Scottish ELC landscape promises to be enlightening.

Evaluating the Quality of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland

Many people regard childcare and early learning and childcare as two separate entities; however, the Scottish government wants these areas of activity to come together under one umbrella.

Three- and four-year-old children are entitled to 1,140 hours of funded ELC per year in nurseries, childminders, playgroups, or family centres.

This structured format will help in systematically presenting the information and analysis on the effectiveness of Scottish Early Learning and Childcare, particularly focusing on the case study of Airdrie Nursery.

Getting started

All three- and four-year-olds (and some two-year-olds) in Scotland have a legal entitlement to 1140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare, accessible via nurseries, creches, and playgroups in the public, private, and third sectors; funded ELC providers may also deliver curriculum for Excellence education services.

Families should carefully assess how the available options match up with their individual needs and priorities before making their selection. If they have concerns with a provider, parents should initially raise them with them directly; most providers will have a complaints procedure that should be made clear to parents before moving their complaint forward, depending on its management structure, perhaps by going directly to its management committee or local authority if their response from the provider wasn’t satisfactory.

Early learning and childcare should provide young children with the best start possible in life, which includes social and emotional development. Children in high-quality settings experience many positive benefits, particularly those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, however, the industry faces several obstacles, including different pay rates between local authority settings and private settings, as well as difficulties paying the real living wage, high staff turnover rates, etc.

Maintaining quality early learning and childcare services funded by governments is of utmost importance in order to provide children and families with access to high-quality care during a pandemic, enabling families to continue planning for their children’s future while helping them realise their ambitions.

The Scottish Government and its partners are making every effort to extend funding hours for three- and four-year-olds and increase the availability of ELC in general, but some key challenges must first be met, including a workforce shortage and making sure settings can meet increased demands for places.

Choosing a provider

No matter what your childcare needs are, choosing the ideal provider is crucial to meeting them. All early learning and childcare providers in Scotland are subject to regulation by the Care Inspectorate so you can trust they adhere to a set of standards to ensure your child receives optimal care.

If you qualify for funded hours, they can be spent in any setting that accepts them, such as school nurseries, independent (private and third sector) settings, and registered childminders. Check your local authority’s website for options in your area.

Before making your choice, it is wise to visit any potential childcare settings so you can observe how the children are cared for and meet any staff members personally. In addition, this allows you to ask any pertinent questions.

Before enrolling your child with any provider, always take time to review its complaint procedure. If any issues arise, reach out directly or contact your local authority.

The Scottish government recognizes and appreciates the hard work done by educators and caretakers of Scotland’s children in order to help them realize their full potential and contribute to Scotland’s economy. Therefore, several initiatives were introduced in 2018–19 in order to support them.

This includes creating an Early Learning and Childcare Workforce Strategy that will assess the challenges facing ELC/OSC services and propose recommendations on how best to address them while raising awareness about the benefits ELC/OSC brings for children, parents, and the wider community.

It will highlight the significance of providing high-quality ELC and OSC settings and highlight ways in which information on quality can be better collected and reported on. It will also explore training and development’s role in increasing quality delivery by ELC providers as well as ensure they receive adequate professional support and guidance in doing so.

Additionally, this task force will examine how to address some of the issues raised in a recent review of sustainable rates for ELC. These include differential rates between local authority providers and private providers; difficulties paying the real living wage when funding rates do not allow this goal; and high turnover of staff in certain settings.

Funded childcare

Scotland provides all three- and four-year-olds, and some two-year-olds, with access to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare each year—30 hours during term time or 22 across the year—available to both working parents and those on low incomes as part of its commitment to assist poor families with childcare costs.

Funded ELC expansion is progressing smoothly despite temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as councils have completed most construction projects and hired significant numbers of additional ELC staff. Overall, funded ELC programmes have proven positive in supporting both children’s development and parental wellbeing.

If you want to apply for funded early learning and care for your child, the first step will be contacting the local authority and seeking their advice on the matter. They should be able to tell you how and when to submit an application; some authorities may only have limited spaces available, requiring applications at specific times—up to a year ahead in some cases!

Some local authorities employ a system for setting sustainable rates with private providers that operate ELC and OSC settings on their behalf, taking into account wages and operating expenses as they develop sustainable rates for private providers to cover. These rates should reflect costs related to providing quality care and education services for Scotland’s children while taking into account any operating expenses as well.

This approach makes it essential to take into account the needs of the entire early learning and childcare sector rather than those of individual settings alone, while local authorities must support providers’ work in creating quality provision if their policy objectives are to be fulfilled.

2022-2023 will see the Scottish government continue its use of Barnett formula funding to deliver an additional PS320 million into the childcare sector. This will support its manifesto commitment of expanding funded hours to one-year-olds with poorer families paying less, as well as increasing wraparound care services for school-age children.

Inspections

The Care Inspectorate is currently consulting on a quality framework for early learning and childcare settings. Individuals working with children at nurseries, family centres, play groups, childminders, or out-of-school clubs will be able to use this new framework as part of the self-evaluation of services provided, helping identify short- and long-term improvements.

The Framework also reflects a belief that quality doesn’t just refer to high professional qualifications but ensures the care and learning of children are at the centre of everything staff, managers, and owners do for children. Learning occurs not just during formal teaching times but throughout interactions and connections between staff members, parents, carers, grandparents, etc. that have an important impact on young lives.

Responses to the review indicated an unequal distribution of high-quality ELC and OSC services across Scotland, particularly in remote and rural communities. Therefore, it is crucial that the government work with local authorities to ensure they continue providing high-quality ELC and OSC for all children, regardless of location.

An ELC/OSC inspection framework should serve to establish greater clarity, consistency, and a universal language among its stakeholders. However, to be truly effective, it must address several key concerns to ensure its success.

As part of an equitable and just society, it is vital that all services receive impartial inspection reports. Doing this ensures a better experience for users as well as providers alike.

The Care Inspectorate Scotland employs five health and social care standards as the framework for inspecting childcare services across Scotland. This covers day nurseries, preschools, playgroups, and childminders regulated by the Care Inspectorate, as well as national standards that help providers offer children the highest standard of care and learning experiences possible.

How Airdrie Nurseries Set the Standard for Scotland

By sharing examples of good practice from across all four areas covered by the case studies, stakeholders shared examples of ELC as an integral element in family support services and created an ELC Advisory Team to advise and support practitioners. Perth and Kinross Council has implemented an innovative programme providing 1140 free ELC hours for 2-year-olds each year based on equity and equality principles that provides flexible attendance patterns tailored to both children’s individual needs as well as family needs.

NHS Lanarkshire’s local authority has collaborated with other agencies and local partners in an effort to assist vulnerable families and mitigate the financial effects of welfare reforms on them. This has involved embedding financial wellbeing questions into routine inquiry processes and creating dedicated services such as the ‘Money and Benefits Hub” co-located within health centres, while health visitors, district nurses, and family nurse partnership nursing staff receive training on relevant issues and available support options for families.