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A summary of early learning and childcare (ELC) resources
National practice guidance
Realising the Ambition (2020) is the national practice guidance for early years in Scotland. It builds upon the original principles and philosophy of ‘Pre-Birth to Three: Positive Outcomes for Scotland’s Children and Families’, ‘Building the Ambition’ and ‘Building the Curriculum 2: Active learning in the early years’, all of which it replaces. It covers children’s learning and development from birth into the early years of primary school.
Self-evaluation approach
The quality improvement framework for the early learning and childcare sectors supports self-evaluation and continuous improvement in ELC settings. Rooted in a rights-based approach, the framework offers a holistic way to evaluate care, play, and learning. Quality indicators encourage meaningful reflection, helping you recognise effective practice and identify areas where further development is needed.
Curriculum
Curriculum is the totality of experiences, interactions and opportunities that support children's learning and development from birth onwards. It is shaped by caring relationships, responsive interactions, play, exploration, daily routines and the environments in which children learn. Effective curriculum making begins with knowing children well and responding to their interests, strengths and needs.
While curriculum guidance changes as children get older, the principles of responsive, child-centred practice remain at the heart of high-quality education and care throughout the early years.
Children under three
The early childhood curriculum for children under three is based on four interrelated and interdependent principles known as the Four R's:
- Rights of the Child
- Relationships
- Responsive Care
- Respect
These principles recognise the unique developmental needs of children under three and support practitioners to provide nurturing, responsive experiences that promote wellbeing, learning and development.
Curriculum for Excellence
From age three, children are entitled to experience Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), Scotland’s curriculum for learners aged 3 to 18. Through a broad general education (BGE) children develop the knowledge, skills and attributes of the four capacities. For most children, the early level spans the period from age three to the end of Primary 1, supporting continuity and progression in learning between ELC and primary school.
CfE aims to develop children as:
- Successful Learners
- Confident Individuals
- Responsible Citizens
- Effective Contributors
The refreshed Curriculum for Excellence narrative provides a shared understanding of the purpose and principles of CfE and supports practitioners to develop responsive child-centred practice in today's context.
The curriculum improvement cycle (CIC) is Scotland's approach to curriculum review and renewal. As part of this process, the technical framework of the BGE is being revised, and a refreshed curriculum will be adopted in settings and schools from August 2028.
The CIC explainer video provides a short introduction.
Practical support and resources
Curriculum
Language and literacy
Language and communication in ELC
Learning to read in the early years
Numeracy and mathematics
Professional learning programme: Supporting early mathematical development
Numeracy professional learning resources
Practitioner guest blog - Numbers as identifiers
Practitioner guest blog - Falkirk wonderisers
Practitioner guest blog - Natural numeracy
Health and wellbeing
Developing nurturing relationships in the early years in Dundee
Education Scotland podcast - Shaping life chances in the early years with Lucy Morton
Applying nurture as a whole school approach
Better eating, better learning - Calderwood Lodge Nursery Class - YouTube
STEM
STEM Nation - early learning and childcare resources
STEM practice at Sunflower Family Nurture Centre
Digilearnscot blog – early learning and childcare
Learning for sustainability
Learning for Sustainability education
Learning for Sustainability - Woodlands ELCC, Falkirk - YouTube
Learning for Sustainability - Glenburgh Nursery Centre, South Lanarkshire - YouTube
Learning for Sustainability - Lamlash Early Years Class, North Ayrshire - YouTube
Learning for Sustainability - Glenburn ELCC, Falkirk - YouTube
Learning for Sustainability Awards 2021 - Westercraigs Nursery Glasgow - YouTube
Creativity
Development of creativity through play at Ballogie Nursery
Pedagogy and play
Early level play pedagogy toolkit
Schematic play: taking a closer look
The Reggio Emilia Approach to early years education
Education Scotland podcast - Focus on Froebelian practice with Professor Tina Bruce
Education Scotland Podcast - Early childhood development with Dr Dan Wuori
Education Scotland Podcast - Early years pedagogy with Dr Marion Burns
Education Scotland Podcast - Slow knowledge and the unhurried child with Professor Alison Clark
The learning environment: interactions, experiences and spaces
Being me through block play - Wakelet
ELC - Block play in the outdoor learning environment - YouTube
Effective environments to promote learning for children aged zero to five
Get the bairns oot! An outdoor kindergarten in Norway
Observation, assessment and planning
Effective observation leading to effective assessment
Planning learning at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten
ELC National Module - Tracking and monitoring Access to the module requires an account. Information on how to create one can be found on the Guide to registration, login and access to self directed professional learning.
Inclusion, wellbeing and equalities
Additional support needs in early learning and childcare (ELC)
Improving gender balance 3 to 18
Children's rights self-evaluation toolkit | The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
British sign language (BSL) - Toolkit for practitioners
Good practice in working with deaf learners
Parental engagement and family learning
Parents and families theme page
Engaging parents and families – A toolkit for practitioners
Engaging fathers in family learning series
Leadership and improvement
Professional learning for early learning and childcare
Pedagogical leadership in early learning and childcare
How Woodside Nursery School has developed partnerships to support children’s learning
Transitions
Scottish Early Childhood and Families Transitions Statement
YouTube Playlist - Transitions as a tool for change
Educational psychology research in Scotland - Transitions Matter case study
Gaelic medium education
Advice on total immersion and ELC
Sharing HM Inspectors’ findings: Building capacity by illustrating improvements - Word
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