Supporting Quality Early Education (0–8 years) in Scotland

This ‘topic surgery’ will outline the work LTS is currently undertaking in supporting quality early education (0-8 years) in Scotland.  The range of areas of work includes supporting practitioners, facilitating the sharing of good practice across Scotland, the development of support materials for practitioners and others. 
The focus of the ‘topic surgery’ is to give early years practitioners (and others such as FE / HE lecturers, LA staff), an opportunity to hear about the various LTS strands of service and to provide participants with an opportunity to discuss current developments in the sector.
Following a brief presentation, there will be an opportunity for some discussion which will be informal and the particular focus will be dependent upon the specific interests of the group.
Discussion may, for example, relate to one or more of the following areas:

• working with children under three years
• transitions
• active learning approaches in pre-school and primary
• curriculum for excellence developments
• Scottish Government early years strategy
• Qualifications and training
• CPD gaps, successes, requirements and suggestions
• others

Jean Carwood Edwards, LTS
Lynda Bancroft, LTS

Jean Carwood-Edwards is the Early Years Team Leader within Learning and Teaching Scotland.  Starting out as a Primary Teacher with an early years specialism, Jean initially worked in nursery schools before going on to primary and then into the Further Education sector, initially as an Early Education and Childcare Lecturer and then as Senior Lecturer.

Jean’s most recent post before joining LTS in September 2008, was as Head of School of Education at James Watt College of Further and Higher Education.   Jean’s main responsibilities included leading and managing the department as well as supporting and teaching both students in their studies and early years practitioners in their continuing professional development.  Jean has always developed and maintained close working links with a wide range of partners such as local authorities, nurseries, primary schools and also with the universities.

As well as serving as a member on different childcare partnerships, Jean has continuously worked at national level on a large number of steering and working groups to help take forward developments linked to curriculum, qualification developments and other initiatives, often with an early years and childhood focus.  Jean currently represents LTS on a number of groups, including the SSSC Childcare Practice Development Group, formerly known as the Technical Expert Group.  As a fairly new member of staff at LTS, Jean is very much looking forward to working with many established and new partners across Scotland to help support the implementation of national developments.