The Early Years Framework

Adam Ingram MSP, Minister for Children and Early Years, explains why developing the Early Years workforce is a key priority.

The Scottish Government is strongly committed to giving every child in Scotland the best possible start. In December 2008, we published the Early Years Framework in partnership with COSLA, setting out a vision for long-term, transformational change in the Early Years.

High-quality, pre-school education has a vital role to play in the successful implementation of the Framework, and there is a significant volume of evidence on the relationship between quality and the presence of well-qualified staff in pre-school settings, particularly teachers. That is why, in our concordat with COSLA, we pledged to ensure that all pre-school children have access to a teacher.

Supportive guidance

In May 2009 we published supportive guidance for pre-school providers on the implementation of this commitment. As research into how much of a teacher's time is required to improve children's outcomes in a pre-school setting is not conclusive, there would be no basis for setting a minimum level for what counts as 'access' and that is not what the guidance aims to do.

What we do say, however, is that, given the strong evidence base on the benefits brought by teachers in pre-school settings, it is important that teachers are deployed in ways that make the best use of their skills and experience. It is important that teachers are utilised in ways that contribute positively to the learning experience for children, and it is likely that this will entail the provision of teacher input on a regular and consistent basis.

For some providers, deploying teachers on a full-time basis in centres will prove difficult – particularly in remote or rural areas. We acknowledge that, in this case, alternative models of deployment, such as part-time or peripatetic models, may need to be explored.

Working together

As the guidance makes clear, the role of teachers in pre-school must be considered in the context of the wider workforce in centres. The Scottish Government is committed to developing the Early Years workforce – we have already made significant progress on this through the introduction of the Childhood Practice qualification for Early Years and childcare managers, and the ongoing process of SSSC registration for the wider Early Years workforce.

As set out in the Early Years Framework, we are also looking at the development of roles working across sectors. While teachers have an important and distinct role to play in the delivery of pre-school education, centres should consider how teachers can be deployed in ways that complement the valuable work done by all members of the team in pre-school settings.

In Scotland, we have much to be proud of in terms of our preschool education provision. To give all our children the best possible start, we must now build on the high-quality practice that already exists, and increasing the overall level of teacher involvement is key to this.