Documenting Children's Learning

Funding from the AiFL initiative has been used by Angus Council Education Department to support pre-school staff to develop documentation approaches to extend and enhance children’s early learning. As well as promoting the Education Departments’ vision statement, the principles underpin many of the key national initiatives including a Curriculum for Excellences, parental partnerships, children’s participation and transitions.

Initiated in three pilot centres in 2004 the project has grown to encompass 60 of our 90 pre-school centres. Over 100 staff have accessed a variety of ongoing CPD through special training sessions and visits to buddy centres.

A team of staff across different sectors, Local Authority, private and voluntary, will demonstrate, through evidence of documentation, (group books, learning walls, diaries etc.) how the quality of experience can be enhanced for young children. The session will showcase examples of best practice which highlight how centres have enriched the experiential learning of children by adopting a documentation approach. Through gathering different types of documentation evidence children’s learning has become much more visible to them, staff and parents. Children are able to engage deeply with the four capacities detailed in a Curriculum for Excellence.

The presenters will discuss the approach taken, the effect it has on children’s learning and the authority’s hopes and aspirations for driving this initiative forward into all centres and improving transitions.