Scottish Government

Pre-school Education

Pre-school education

Many local authorities provide pre-school education through their education departments within primary schools. Pre-school education provision in a primary school will usually have places for up to 20 children at one time. It is possible for a large primary school to have more than one pre-school education class. Most pre-school education centres outwith primary schools have places for 40-60 children at any one time, although in some parts of Scotland there are larger units. The number of children provided for is increased by having children attend for only part of a day. Practice varies from authority to authority but it is common for most children to attend either in the morning or the afternoon. Children with priority needs, however, may well attend for the whole day. In some authorities children attend only on certain days in the week. A large number of private providers also contribute, in partnership with local authorities, towards securing free, part time pre-school education for 3 and 4-year-olds. Their curricula and approaches are very similar to those in the public sector.

The voluntary sector also plays an important role in providing pre-school education. For example, in the Western Isles, voluntary groups are the main providers.

Other types of local authority, voluntary and private sector provision

Aside from free part-time provision, a variety of other pre-school provision also exists. Occasionally, in special cases, children may attend local authority pre-school classes beyond the statutory school age. Whether younger children or those deferring entry to primary school are accepted into a pre-school establishment may depend on a number of factors, such as family circumstances, the aims of the establishment and the availability of a place. Priority may be given to children who are referred by the social work department, psychological service or the health services.

The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 requires local authorities to promote social welfare and enables them to provide, through their social work departments, accommodation, material resources and finance in the form of grants or loans for work with the under-5s. By this Act, the local authority social work departments are empowered to set up day nurseries. These cater for children across the whole pre-school age group but provide pre-school education for the older children. Priority for admission may be given to the children of single parents, especially if the parent is required to go to work, children who have been neglected or abused and children from families whose difficulties may be eased by the day nursery placement. This is often an all-day provision.

Many local authorities also encourage pre-school playgroups and provide support for them, often in conjunction with the Scottish Pre-school Play Association (SPPA) or Highland Pre-school Services (HPS). These playgroups are run by parents, who will in many cases pay a trained play leader to take charge of the group, although sometimes groups are run by volunteers from the community. Playgroups belonging to the SPPA and HPS have an agreed code of practice and training is provided by the organisation for those who work with pre-school children and wish to have it. Pre-school playgroups normally operate on the basis of a two-and-a-half hour session either daily or on certain days of the week. The maximum number of children permitted in any one playgroup is 24. It is very common for children to attend a pre-school playgroup for a year before attending a pre-school education centre, and children who spend only part of a day or week in a pre-school education centre quite often continue to attend a playgroup when they are not at the pre-school education centre.

The private sector also offers all-day care and education, often to working parents. There are also a number of pre-school education centres attached to independent (private) schools For the care of children whose parents are working, some industrial and commercial firms, as well as major national and local government offices, offer day-care facilities.

Historical Perspective

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Nursery education, as such, was slow to be established in Scotland. Before 1872 it was not uncommon to find children under the age of 5 in school, but until the Act of that year, which set school age at 5, these younger children at school were few in number. The first nursery, run on lines developed by Margaret McMillan in London, was opened in Edinburgh in 1906. By 1932 there were only 19 nursery schools and 5 nursery classes in other schools, with a total roll of about 700. The Education (Scotland) Act 1945 made it the duty of education authorities to establish nursery schools if there was sufficient demand from parents. The number of nurseries rose to just over 80 in a short period, almost all in the four major cities and catering mainly for children in deprived social circumstances.

These state-supported nurseries were supplemented by a few independent nurseries, also in the major cities, which catered for children whose parents could afford to pay for nursery education. However, other pressures in education meant that there was little further expansion until the 1970s. This decade brought a major report on nursery education, Before Five, and an expansion of nursery education through the establishment of nursery classes in primary schools and the introduction of part-time nursery education, with some children attending in the morning and others in the afternoon.

In recent years, increased recognition of the importance of pre-school education has led to a commitment to secure free, part time pre-school education for all 3 and 4 year olds whose parents wish it.

Reform Proposal

Most authorities currently use a transition record that summarises children's progress and achievements in the various aspects outlined in the Curriculum Framework. Over the next few years, transition records will be incorporated into Personal Learning Plans, which will provide a continuous record of the child's progress from pre-school through to the end of compulsory education, and clear feedback and information for parents and children.

From 31 July 2003 local authorities were no longer be required to have a trained teacher in their nursery schools or classes. Instead, teachers can be employed where they are most needed. The Guidance on Teacher Involvement published by the Executive in January 2002 describes how this could be done to best effect. Over the next few years each member of the social work workforce will be required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council. Registration of the early years and childcare workforce is expected to take place from 2005. In order to register, individuals will be required to hold, or be working towards, a recognised qualification.

Educational Legislation

The Scottish Parliament passed the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Scotland Act 2000, which gives local authorities a duty to ensure pre-school provision for eligible children in their area. This legislation came into effect in April 2002. Latest figures (for academic year 2001-02) show 96% of 4 years olds and 85% of 3 year olds are participating in pre-school education.

The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission) and the Scottish Social Services Council were set up under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 to regulate, respectively, care services and the social care workforce. The Care Commission, which became operational on 1 April 2002, is regulating a wide range of care services, including childminding and day care of children, whether provided by local authorities or the independent sector. It inspects them against legislative requirements and national care standards. Inspection of centres providing pre-school education, previously conducted by HMIE alone, is now undertaken jointly with the Care Commission. These inspections apply to all kinds of centres offering pre-school education, including nursery schools and classes.

The Social Services Council was established on 1 October 2001 to regulate the social services workforce in line with the White Paper Aiming for Excellence: Modernising Social Work Services in Scotland (March 1999). The registration of nursery nurses and the remainder of the 32,000 early years and childcare workforce (who are in the second group of staff to be registered) will probably take place in 2005/6.

Aims of Education, Teaching Objective

Child Development

The aims of pre-school education, as set out in the 1994 report: Education of Children under 5 in Scotland and subsequently in the Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5 are:

• to provide a safe and stimulating environment in which children can feel happy and secure;
• to encourage the emotional, social, physical, creative and intellectual development of children;
• to promote the welfare of children;
• to encourage positive attitudes to self and others and develop confidence and self-esteem
• to create opportunities for play;
• to encourage children to explore the world;
• to provide opportunities to stimulate interest and imagination; and
• to extend children's abilities to communicate ideas and feelings in a variety of ways

School Distribution

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Recent measures have meant that previous geographical accessibility problems with regard to pre-school education have been largely overcome. Funding has enabled local authorities, including those in the more remote areas of Scotland, to fulfil their obligation to secure free, part time pre-school education for 3 and 4 year olds whose parents wish it. (From 1 ^st April 2002 funding for pre-school education of 137 million was re-integrated into the local government settlement. This figure included a rural weighting of 6.4 million.) As part of the Scottish Budget for 2003-2006 there is again provision of significant additional resources within Grant-Aided Expenditure (GAE) to support local authorities' role in the implementation of the Childcare Strategy. There will continue to be a rural weighting and it is anticipated that this funding will help Childcare Partnerships in rural areas to make further progress in expanding the availability of childcare.

Furthermore, local authorities can choose to facilitate transport provision so that access to pre-school education and childcare places is not compromised in rural areas. Under Section 37 of the 2000 Act they have the power to provide transport, free of charge, to and from places which provide pre-school education, although they do not have a duty to do so.

Admission Requirements, Choice of School

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All children aged 3 and 4 years are entitled to pre-school education. Local authorities are required to secure pre-school provision for children from the start of the school term following their third birthday until the end of the school term before they are eligible to start primary school. There are cut off dates associated with enrolment in each term (Autumn term - born between 1 March and 31 August; Spring term - born between 1 September and 31 December; Summer term - born between 1 January and 28 February). Eligible children are entitled to 412 ¹/ ₂ hours of funded pre-school education over the school year. This equates to 12 ¹/ ₂ hours per week over the school year (33 weeks).

If parents of children with birthdays in January or February choose to defer their child's entry to primary school, local authorities are under a duty to provide an additional year of free pre-school education for these children. Children with September to December birthdays can have an extra year only at the discretion of their authorities.

Choice of pre-school establishment is open to parents but depends on the local availability of the different types of establishment ( See also section 3.3).

Grant, Family Allowance

The legislation ( see section 3.3) requires local authorities to provide free part time pre-school education for all 3 and 4 year olds whose parents wish it.

Furthermore, the 2000 Act specifically empowers local authorities to secure pre-school education beyond the terms of their statutory duty for those who require it. An example of this is the provision of pre-school education with additional "wraparound" care for children aged 3-5 for whom such extended service is judged beneficial.

In addition, as part of a package to help reduce child poverty and support parental Employment in disadvantaged areas money is available through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) to help support out-of- school care and other childcare initiatives. 21.5million is available from 2002-06 in new NOF initiatives. Also the Childcare Tax Credit worth over 30million per annum in Scotland is available to help families with childcare costs.

As part of the Scottish Budget 2003-2006, Ministers recently announced the provision of significant additional resources within Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) to support local authorities' role in the implementation of the Childcare Strategy. The total Childcare Strategy resources within GAE for the budget period amount to 19.25m in 2003-04, 29.75m in 2004-05 and 40.75m in 2005-06.

Class Composition, Grouping

All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to pre-school education. The range of types of provision is indicated in the opening paragraphs of section 3 above.

Arrangement of School Time

Nursery schools and classes usually operate on the basis of two 2.5 hour sessions per day, starting at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm, usually with different children in each session. In some areas children attend only on certain days of the week. Playgroups normally have a 2-hour session either every day or on a number of days per week. Other day care establishments tend to have longer hours, opening earlier in the morning and not closing until the early evening to suit parents' hours of work.

School Year

Holiday Regulation

The arrangement of time over the year for children entitled to part-time pre-school education is included in section 3.6. Most pre-school establishments open for at the same time as schools in their area.

Out of School Provision, School Week, School Day, Time-table

Weekly and Daily Timetable in Pre-School Education

Nursery schools and classes usually operate on the basis of two 2.5 hour sessions per day, Monday to Friday, starting at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm, usually with different children in each session. In some areas children attend only on certain days of the week. Playgroups normally have a 2-hour session either every day or on a number of days per week. Other day care establishments tend to have longer hours, opening earlier in the morning and not closing until the early evening to suit parents' hours of work.

Reform Proposal

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A Curriculum Framework for Children 3-5 was published in 1999 by SCCC (now LTS). It deals with key aspects of children's development and learning and offers guidance on effective learning, staff interaction with children, partnership with parents, appropriate provision for children with additional support needs, equal opportunities and effective transition to the primary school. Currently, in pre-school education centres, there are many opportunities for children to listen and talk explain their ideas and clarify their thinking, acquire new knowledge and learn to relate to others. Role play and activities involving art and music develop their expressive skills. Physical play on large equipment, energetic games and activities manipulating smaller tools and materials enable them to develop the skills of movement and body control. Their observation of natural objects and investigating their environment helps to build their understanding of the world. Mixing with other children with whom they have to learn to co-operate during play helps them to develop a sense of responsibility and establish new relationships.

During every half-day session it is expected that all children will take part in a balanced range of play activities.

Teaching Method, Teaching Aid

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Most pre-school education centres are well-resourced, interesting and colourful places. Large items of equipment (chute, climbing apparatus, wooden bricks, sand and water trays, painting easels, a playhouse, etc) and a wide range of small items (paints, clays, props for imaginative play, table-top games, coloured blocks, books and musical instruments) are common features of the pre-school playroom. Equipment is usually located in specific areas of the space which is available so that the children can move from one area to another for a variety of learning experiences. Pre-school playgroups have similar resources but are unlikely to have the purpose-built accommodation.

The local environment is also an important resource for pre-school education, allowing excursions to be undertaken, for example to local shops, the park or the fire station.

The starting point for learning through play is staff planning effectively for the provision of a range of suitable learning contexts (areas and activities), with a clear set of objectives which meet the needs of all children. In the course of enabling the children to participate meaningfully in the various activities, staff observe the reactions of individual children, allow them to take initiatives or pursue particular interests. They intervene only when necessary to demonstrate their sharing of the children's enthusiasm or to help them extend or develop their skills.

Evaluation, Pupil

Achievement Gain

School Psychologist

Remedial Teaching

The phrase "remedial teaching" is not used in pre-school, primary or secondary education in Scotland.

Some children are identified as being in need of additional support even before they reach the pre-school education stage. Evaluation of the needs of pre-school children takes place at two quite different levels. Within the community some children are identified by social work departments, by health visitors and district nurses in the health service and by educational psychologists as having additional support needs or as coming from families which require special support. Children in this category are given priority in the allocation of pre-school education places. They will be admitted early and, in some cases, if it is thought that they would benefit, they remain in the pre-school education centre beyond the age of 5.

The health services, the psychological service and the social work department are the main support agencies for pre-school education establishments, especially local authority pre-school education centres. They continue to support children whom they have referred to them. Where there is appropriate support and training, the pre-school education centres themselves give careful attention to pupils who need additional support. In the best practice they are the responsibility of one adult, who has the task of devising special programmes and overseeing their implementation. Detailed records of progress are usually kept in such cases.

Private Education, Financing

The role of private pre-school establishments, which often work in partnership with local authorities, is indicated in the description of the various types of establishment in the opening paragraph of section 3 above.

Alternative School

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Given the demographic and geographical issues that arise in rural areas, a number of innovative forms of provision have been developed in order to expand the availability of pre-school education. These include the use of mobile pre-school centres and peripatetic teaching services. These alternative structures, in addition to the rural weightings provided in funding, have enabled all local authorities to fulfil their duty of providing free part time pre-school education to all those 3 and 4 year olds whose parents wish it.

Statistical Data

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Further and more detailed statistics to supplement those given here are available on the Scottish Executive web site at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/.

Pre-School Education Centres (January 2003)