Realising the Ambition: Being Me

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Realising the Ambition: Being Me is the national practice guidance for the early years sector in Scotland, published in 2020 by Education Scotland. It serves as a refreshed and expanded version of previous guidance, specifically designed to support the expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to 1140 hours.

For apprentices at L&G Learning, this document provides the foundational philosophy and practical framework for high-quality early years practice.

Document Overview

The guidance bridges the gap between pre-birth and the early stages of primary school, ensuring a consistent approach to a child’s learning journey. Its primary goal is to make Scotland "the best place in the world to grow up" by placing the child at the center of all practice.

The document is structured into sections covering:

  • The Developing Child: Understanding how babies and young children grow and what they need from adults.

  • Play Pedagogy: Defining the importance of play as the primary "work" of the child.

  • The Learning Environment: Focusing on the crucial roles of interactions, experiences, and spaces.

  • Reflective Practice: Encouraging practitioners to evaluate their own impact and biases to ensure high-quality care.

Main Takeaways for Apprentices

1. Quality as the "Golden Thread"

Quality is the most important factor in improving outcomes for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a practitioner, your interactions are the single most important driver of a child's ELC experience.

  • Key Action: Focus on building warm, nurturing, and respectful relationships with every child and their family.

2. The Importance of Play Pedagogy

Play is not separate from learning; it is the process through which children learn about themselves and the world.

  • Key Action: Support "agency" by allowing children to lead their own learning through their internal motivations and interests.

  • Key Action: Be a "playful adult" who joins in, wonders aloud, and avoids interrupting moments of intense concentration.

3. Understanding the Child’s Perspective

The guidance is intentionally written from the child's perspective (using "I" statements) to help you "hear the child's voice".

  • Key Action: Tune in to how a child expresses interest through facial expressions, gazing intensity, and noises rather than just verbal communication.

4. The Five Dimensions of Development

Development is not a race, and every child follows a different pattern. Apprentices should focus on these five core dimensions:

  • Executive function and self-regulation

  • Communication and language

  • Confidence, creativity, and curiosity

  • Movement and coordination

  • Self and social development

5. Reflective Practice and Bias

High-quality practice requires you to constantly look at your own actions.

  • Key Action: Be aware of **unconscious gender biases** that might lead you to interact differently with boys and girls (e.g., the assumptions you make or the directions you give).

6. Transition Support

Transitions (from home to ELC, or ELC to school) are critical milestones for a child.

  • Key Action: Work closely with families to ensure these transitions are seamless and provide "positive continuity" in the child's wellbeing and learning.

Learning Resources

Below is resources developed by L&G Learning to support your learning & development.

Podcast

The link to our Spotify page will give you access to Episode 18 which covers the Realising the Ambition document.

 

Video Overview

 

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Access the full document

For further reading, you can access the full document here.

 

Further reading

These links will further support you on your learning journey: