Curriculum for Excellence in the early years

Key messages for early years

As Curriculum for Excellence develops, so too will thinking and guidance on the implications for the early years. Of key importance are the quality, breadth and depth of learning experiences that children will encounter and how we can work together to ensure that every child can achieve and attain their potential.

Many of the messages of Curriculum for Excellence will already be familiar to early years staff:

• Active, experiential learning

  Early years staff are committed to developing learning in natural and real contexts, familiar to children and appropriate to their interests and stages of development. This reflects our understanding that young children’s learning is most effectively supported through interaction with adults and other children and through play and active exploration of their environment.

• A holistic approach to learning

  Curriculum for Excellence promotes the need to view learning and teaching across curriculum subjects and areas as inter-connected and integrated. This is particularly important for young children, who will develop their understanding of, for example, science, language, communication, technology and mathematics from an everyday experience, such as water or sand play, supported by knowledgeable adults.

  The challenge is to ensure that these experiences are enriching and stimulating and that adults working with children are able to understand, appreciate and assess children’s achievements and learning.

• Smooth transitions

  In seeking to develop continuity and progression across the 3-18 continuum, there are important implications for supporting children through key transition points. A continuing challenge in Scotland is to improve the coherence and consistency of approaches between pre-school and primary school settings. In their response to A Curriculum for Excellence, Scottish Ministers have stated the need to bring together the 3 to 5 and 5-14 Curriculum Frameworks, ensuring a smooth transition both in what children learn and in how they learn.

• Importance of play

  Alongside this, there is clear recognition of the importance of play and active learning experiences throughout children’s educational experience. Early years staff are working to support improved opportunities for this within the early primary school experience.

  Our Sharing practice section has some examples of learning through play in early primary.