In early November, teachers, lecturers and early years practitioners travelled from across Scotland to the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, for a day celebrating early years pedagogy and exploring wellbeing, inclusive practice, and playful learning.

The event – designed by members for members – provided an opportunity to meet face-to-face, to connect with old friends, to meet new ones and to support each other and draw strength from collegiality and shared experiences.

“A fantastic day organised with thought, care and attention to detail by our EIS team. There was opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues and listen to inspired talks by professionals, keen to support our own wellbeing, and also to consider practice that will positively impact the experiences of our youngest children.”

– Julie Kennedy, early years teacher and EIS EYT network member.

Alongside colleagues, Julie presented a stall showcasing good practice at the event.

The EIS’s early years network led the event, with Rebecca McCulloch providing a warm welcome and reminding participants at the start of the day, “we all have one thing in common – the wee ones we work with”. She encouraged members to share practice; and learning from each other, to fill their metaphorical backpacks with sound pedagogical learning as well as essential advice on prioritising their health, safety and wellbeing.

She acknowledged that in some quarters, the sector is often forgotten or overlooked, with a disproportionate focus placed on child care over education. And yet as we emerge from the pandemic and deal with the very real impact of poverty, she highlighted that the passion and dedication of teachers and graduate practitioners in Early Childhood Education continues to shine through across local authorities and is routinely highlighted as the paradigm of child-centred learning from which others can learn.

Paula McEwan, EIS Ex-President, explored aspects of the Stand Up for Quality Education campaign as it pertained to early years and invited members to use the day to rediscover the roots of joyful teaching.

“The EIS organised a superb and sorely needed event for early years teachers in Scotland, a fantastic chance to connect, share and learn from each other via a variety of fascinating workshops and a diverse range of speakers. Early years teachers are often relegated to a realm of education without proper status: the EIS showed incredible support by foregrounding the rich experience, knowledge and skills of our early level teachers. As local authorities continue to slash early level teaching posts, it was empowering and revitalising for us to come together as a group, and assert our vital position as highly proficient, committed leaders of learning for our youngest children.”

– David Dick, early years teacher. David facilitated workshops on embedding inclusive practice in early years.

Participants attended two from a choice of three workshops, which focused on:

Workload, Wellbeing and Holding Difficult Conversations, led by EIS Organisers Craig Carson and Suki Sanga. The workshop identified strategies for holding difficult conversations, and building confidence to do so, as well as tackling workload as a means of protecting wellbeing.

Taking an Appreciative Approach to Wellbeing and Care in Education, led by Dr Carolyn Cooke from the Open University in Scotland. Carolyn explored an approach to generate ‘systems change from a positive core’, which struck a chord with participants.

“I cannot stress how important it was to hear about this as a technique just now as the sector feels quite broken and morale among ELC is so low. I had spent the week despairing as to how to have a positive impact on the teams I work with when we are so time and resource poor. This gave me a strategy to reframe the thinking and not only be thankful for things that work but also generate some creative problem solving in a collaborative way.”

– Ailie Rankin, early years teacher, and EYT network member.

LGBT+ Inclusion in Early Years, led by early years teacher, David Dick. This workshop aimed to build the confidence of participants in embedding LGBT inclusive education in practice, and explored ways of influencing positive attitudes toward diversity. This workshop was prefaced by an introduction to EIS equality focused work and resources by Selma Augestad, National Officer (Equality).

The afternoon considered playful learning, linking academic theory with its implementation in practice. Jenny Carey and Kirsty Aitchison, from the University of Strathclyde, introduced the session by focusing on the importance of unpacking the backpacks which we, as educators, carry with us.

They referenced the three domains – cognitive knowledge and skills; cultural and social capital; and our identity and agency as professionals. Jenny skilfully linked these three domains to professional noticing and the impact it can have on playful learning environments. Continuing with the backpack theme, Michaela McCune from West Dunbartonshire spoke of the importance of understanding the holistic needs of the child – thinking about what’s in their backpacks – and how this theory can impact positively on our youngest learners.

She illustrated this approach by referencing a one-ery model, which her setting had used and found to be particularly effective in supporting transition. Further practice examples were shared in the main session and at stalls throughout the day, presented by EIS members from West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire, and colleagues from the Scottish Book Trust.

For the EIS, this event proved to be an exciting opportunity to bring early years teachers and practitioners together, to ensure that their voices continue to be heard and to provide a platform to highlight the positive impact of early childhood education on the lives of children and their families.

“It was great to speak to colleagues who are in similar roles throughout Scotland and to get the opportunity to share good practice.”

– Michaela McCune, early years teacher, and event speaker.

As everyone left with their backpacks replenished and ready to go, we are already preparing for the next early years conference…