Drop-in session for Childminders

Wednesday the 3rd of February – 7pm until 8pm

In response to the consultation with childminders in November 2020 the EYESO team have created a drop-in session. This is an opportunity for commissioned childminders across Highland to network, share issues and support one another. In order to offer support and help answer any questions you may have there will also be Early Years Education Support Officers, Family Resource Co-ordinators, Early Years Officers and an Early Years Commissioners attending the session. We hope you will be able to join us and look forward to seeing you.

The session will take place over Microsoft Teams and a link will be sent out to childminders directly – so look out for it in your inbox!

Realising the Ambition: Confidence, Creativity and Curiosity

Thursday the 4^th of February – 2pm until 2.45pm

This session will explore the role of interactions, experiences and spaces in supporting confidence, creativity and curiosity in early years play.  For example: Being aware that the simplest of experiences for YOU are often full of potential for ME.  Join us as we discuss playing with a cardboard box and thinking outside the box!

The session will take place through Microsoft Teams – Click here to join the meeting.

In the second of our celebrations of the 6 Highland Early Years stories which were selected by Education Scotland for the What Scotland Learned 100 stories of lockdown book and What Scotland Learned we highlight Lundavara Primary Nursery.

On a typical day, pre Covid-19, the Lundavra Primary Nursery practitioners would engage with families in the setting and provide a lot of support, including advice around any concerns families have, signposting to relevant professionals and general, supportive conversations.  When the first lockdown was announced the team recognised the need to continue their communication and supportive relationships with their families in creative ways which they would respond and engage with.

What was the impact of the approach they took?

“We found that having this regular contact with families away from the nursery setting helped us to break down barriers. We felt that families were more open and honest in their interactions with us and were extremely willing to ‘have a go’ at some of the suggested activities, whereas if they had received an activity grid home on paper it may have been overlooked.”

“The difference our Facebook page made was evident in the conversations we had with our families with many commenting on how often they use the page as a tool to talk to their child about their friends and teachers.”

Find out how they used creative methods of communication to engage with families at Lundavra Nursery.

What Scotland Learned is a collection of inspiring stories about how practitioners across Scotland have responded during the COVID-19 crisis. It is structured around the five themes of How Good is OUR School? and includes contributions from children and young people, adults, families and communities.

100 of the stories have been published in the What Scotland Learned 100 stories of lockdown book. These and others are also available online at What Scotland Learned.

We are extremely proud that 6 Early Years stories from within Highland were selected by Education Scotland for inclusion within the collections. We are going to highlight each of them over the course of this week and we hope they provide some useful ideas, inspiration and reassurance to support your current remote learning provision.

We start with –

St Joseph’s RC Primary School Nursery, Highland  

Find out how the nursery team worked together during the first lockdown to engage children and families through developing a book online with the children and families which everyone could add to, share and look back on. The book aimed to help children by enabling them to see the nursery team and their friends, to reassure and support them during the lockdown period.

 “We used our book as a celebration of children’s skills and family learning and living in a community which is inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe.”

“Through using imagination and creativity and tackling new experiences we have all, children and adults developed new skills.” Read their story at St Joseph’s RC Primary School Nursery

Congratulations to Early Years practitioner Jacqueline Stocks and the team at Kinmylies Primary & ELC!  

Their effective use of online Bookbug sessions to improve engagement with families during lockdown was chosen to feature as an inspiring story on the Bookbug Website.

Find out how Jacqueline organised and developed the sessions over time and how well they have impacted on family learning at Kinmylies ELC at Inspiring Stories Live and Singing In Lockdown.  If you are looking for ideas and support to take the next step to running your own online sessions the article also includes help with permissions for books and top tips for brilliant online bookbug sessions.

Bookbug on Facebook

The Bookbug Facebook Page includes details of Bookbug sessions held every Friday at 10am. Families can join live or access the recording at a time that suits them. If celebrating Burn’s Night is part of your current home learning offering to families the page includes a recording of the Scots Bookbug Session.

Thank you to all of the managers, and staff with a management role, who attended the ‘Achieving Quality in Early Years’ session this week.

If you weren’t able to join the session you can access the recording of the presentation and the accompanying slides on the Highland Digital Hub by clicking here.  The session shares a variety of useful links and key information to support staff in a management and leadership role in early years.