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The Equity and Excellence Lead role has been specifically
designed, by Scottish Government, to meet the policy aims of
the early years expansion in regards to children who face the
greatest disadvantages.  Stirling were allocated 5 funded  Equity
and Excellence Leads (EELs).  Our 5 EELs are based in Fallin,
Cowie, Cornton, Raploch and Hillview Nurseries.

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We would love to hear how we can support you and your setting.  Please complete our quick survey.
How can our Equity & Excellence Leads support you? (office.com)

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Fallin Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Fallin Nursery

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Hi my name is Angela Cairns and I am the Equity and Excellence lead at Fallin Nursery.

I work collaboratively with colleagues to track and monitor children's progress over time and ensure we are providing the right help at the right time.   I support practitioners to understand the attainment gap that is associated with poverty and raise their awareness of some of the inequalities faced by children and families from less affluent backgrounds. Understanding these inequalities allows us to address them with the aim of improving outcomes and reducing gaps.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report (2014) highlighted that children only spend 15% of their waking hours in education, whereas 85% is spent at home or in the community. The GUS study (2015) also found that less advantaged households are less likely to engage in home learning.  This research fuelled my passion for Family Learning  and I work in partnership with Stirling's Learning and Employability Team to deliver the Peep Learning Together programme, which helps parents to understand how they can support their child's learning and development through everyday experiences.

Email Contact:  cairnsa30s@glow.sch.uk

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Corton Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Corton Nursery

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Hi, I am Lynne McKay and have been the Equity and Excellence Lead at Cornton Nursery for the last two years.

My role is diverse and ever evolving with a key focus on improving outcomes and reducing the attainment gap for every child within our care. I support staff to provide quality experiences and targeted and timely interventions, within a relevant and rich play and learning environment.

Through effective and purposeful observations I work collaboratively with teams across three playrooms, using Stirling Play and Learning Framework toolkits, to plan challenging and supportive experiences for children in order that they succeed and achieve their full potential. Tailored group and individual interventions have been key to our success and will continue.

Our tracking and monitoring tool has enabled staff to see gaps in learning and guide the most relevant next steps.  I am looking forward to sharing our experiences with our colleagues throughout Stirling.

Email Contact:  mckayl22s@glow.sch.uk

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Hillview Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Hillview Nursery

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Hi, my name is Lorna Tennant, and I am the Equity and Excellence Lead at Hillview Nursery.

I work to support educators to build their confidence in identifying gaps in learning, to bridge the attainment gap and ensure we implement appropriate strategies and targeted support for children to develop to their full capacity.  I am enthusiastic about family learning, children and family’s emotional well-being, inclusion and outdoor learning.  I am eager to take steps to ensure interventions put in place allow us to get it right for every child and family.

Through my time at Hillview I have worked with staff to implement new mealtimes that are allowing our children’s emotional wellbeing and involvement to be enhanced to support their health and wellbeing needs.

Email Contact:  gw22tennantlorna@glow.sch.uk

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Cowie Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Cowie Nursery

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Hi, I am Maureen Dawson, the recently appointed Equity and Excellence Lead at Cowie Nursery.

Cowie Nursery is the largest early years setting in the Stirling Council area and we appreciate the chance to work collaboratively with so many families and the local community.

My role’s key focus is promoting equity, improving outcomes and reducing the attainment gap across all children in my setting.  In my role, I support educators to continuously improve their practice in order to provide high quality learning experiences for our children, and to develop professionally through leadership roles within the setting. We work together to identify gaps in children’s learning and provide timely targeted interventions to raise attainment across the setting.  We support families by offering a safe and supportive base, and work in partnership with them to identify and overcome barriers to their children’s learning.

I am passionate about promoting equity, raising attainment and I have a special interest in Numeracy. I am enjoying being part of the Bannockburn Learning Community Numeracy project, supported by Education Scotland, which promotes professional dialogue across our learning community and beyond, to build a consistent approach to Numeracy teaching.

Email contact:  dawsonm63s@glow.sch.uk

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Raploch Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Raploch Nursery

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Hi, I am Laura MacKenzie, I am the Equity and Excellence Lead at Raploch Nursery I am currently on maternity leave looking after my gorgeous daughter.

In our setting I work closely with educators to plan, track and monitor progress over time to improve individual outcomes. At Raploch, we recognise the diversity that comes from working in a large setting and celebrate the individuality of each child. I support educators to identify gaps in learning and to recognise the impact life events can have on attainment, to ensure that we are proactive in identifying potential barriers that children may face. Through early intervention, targeted work and the use of effective strategies, we are working to raise attainment for all and to support children to reach their full potential.

My passion lies in outdoor play and learning for sustainability. Throughout my time at Raploch, I have been working with educators to improve the quality of outdoor play experiences.

We are committed to ensuring that play experiences indoors and out are utilised to meet children's individual needs.

Email Contact:  welshl54s@glow.sch.uk

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Click on the video to find out the difference between Equityand Equality.

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Click on the video to find out the difference between Equityand Equality.

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https://youtu.be/nCS7Rus4_-Y

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18Gdf_TGaQf5SCGJd411toe5tmt9DoXPz/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100259450422731116537&rtpof=true&sd=true

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2022 Achieving Excellence and Equity.pptx

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Acting Equity and Excellence Leads Raploch Nursery

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Acting Equity and Excellence Leads Raploch Nursery

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Hi, we are Mags Tomczyk and Rowan Hopper and we are Acting Equity and Excellence Leads at Raploch Nursery.

We have been Early Childhood Educators at Raploch Nursery since 2022. This year we have been very fortunate to recently be appointed the role of Acting Equity and Excellence Lead while Laura MacKenzie is on maternity leave.

This opportunity will provide us with the great opportunity to really get to know our children and families as we support attainment for all. We both have a role in leading intervention groups to help close attainment gaps for our children. Through this, we will work closely alongside our staff team to ensure all our children have opportunities to succeed and receive the highest standards of quality play and learning.

Mags: Previously I have been a childminder and worked as ASN Pupil Support. I have the passion for the outdoor environment. I love growing fruit and vegetables, look after small insects such as tadpoles or worms. I am working to transfer that passion to children and their families.

Email contact:  tomczykm54s@glow.sch.uk

Rowan: I my role as an Early Year Educator,  I love the positive impact that working with children and families has on them and am excited to extend this within my EEL role. Last year, I completed a Forest Kindergarten course and I aim to work in partnership with educators to build on awareness of the many benefits come from outdoor learning and play to create unique experiences that meet each of our child’s individual needs.

Email contact:  hopperr54s@glow.sch.uk

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https://simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/9/-4.0000/55.9000/

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SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation)

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Important building blocks to ensure Excellence and Equity across Stirling.

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Important building blocks to ensure Excellence and Equity across Stirling.

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The Council Excellence and Equity Strategy lays out our expectation that all Stirling’s
children and young people benefit from services which put them at the centre. We
will promote and embed a culture and vision of excellence and equity by:

•Developing nurturing approaches which recognise that positive relationships are key
to improving both learning and wellbeing;

•Actively removing barriers so that staff, children and young people, families and
communities are equal partners;

•Effectively communicating with families by actively listening, being clear and open,
and planning together;
•Ensuring learning experiences are high quality, engaging and accessible to all;

•Seeking to provide support at the earliest opportunity;

•Using local data and information to help us in understanding our communities and
learners’ needs, identifying key strengths as well as gaps and barriers to learning;

•Identifying aspirational and SMART* improvement outcomes based on the strengths
and needs of our communities;

•Identifying clear impact measures, enabling regular tracking and monitoring of
progress and impact;

•Targeting resources to maximise impact using evidence informed approaches;

•Working collaboratively with peers and partners both within and outwith Stirling to
share best practice and support improvement for all children and young people;

•Engaging in a cycle of review, adapting interventions based on robust evaluation.

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https://sites.google.com/eds.glow.scot/fvwlcovid19equitytoolkit/home

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It is envisaged that this toolkit can be used in a variety of different ways depending on the needs of the user. For example if you are a head of establishment, you could use it to work with staff on exploring the impact of COVID-19 on your children/young people or to consider how to best utilise any additional funding. If you are a teacher or practitioner working with children, you can consider the impact of Covid-19 for your class or groups and then explore the resources available.

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It is envisaged that this toolkit can be used in a variety of different ways depending on the needs of the user. For example if you are a head of establishment, you could use it to work with staff on exploring the impact of COVID-19 on your children/young people or to consider how to best utilise any additional funding.

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Park Drive Nursery

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Equity and Excellence Lead at Park Drive Nursery

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Hello, I'm Jennifer Wright the Senior Early Childhood Educator and Equity and Excellence Lead at Park Drive Nursery.

In my roles I work with keyworkers to carry out tracking and monitoring at impact meetings.  These meetings have allowed us to identify gaps in children's numeracy and social and emotional wellbeing and put interventions into place to support progression.

I have been working on our data story within Park to show progression and to support our team to raise attainment for all.

Email Contact- wrightj46s@glow.sch.uk

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Public Health Scotland - Child Health Data

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Public Health Scotland - Child Health Data

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https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-health-pre-school-review-coverage/child-health-pre-school-review-coverage-statistics-2020-to-2021/

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Child health pre-school review coverage 2020 to 2021 - Child health pre-school review coverage - Publications - Public Health Scotland

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Statistics on the coverage of child health reviews offered to preschool children as part of the nationally agreed child health programme

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Scottish Attainment Challenge - ELC Resources

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Scottish Attainment Challenge - ELC Resources

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https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/sac-elc/

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This resource provides an overview of how early learning and childcare supports the aspirations of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, and practical guidance on how to improve the vocabulary of young learners. The resource links to research, practical suggestions and reflection questions.

Explore this resource

The presentation titled Early Learning and Childcare and the Scottish Attainment Challenge gives strategic support for leaders and managers in early learning and childcare. The presentation titled Supporting Young Children's Vocabulary gives practical guidance for practitioners in early learning and childcare.

How to use this resource

The resources are in the form of slide show presentations and content is timed automatically. An arrow icon appears in the bottom right-hand corner to indicate that the user should manually move to the next slide. The presentations can be viewed in whole or in part. Research links have been provided throughout and users are encouraged to make full use of these.

Improvement questions

In what ways does your work in ELC support the aspirations of the Scottish Attainment Challenge?

In what ways can the poverty-related attainment gap be addressed in ELC?

How effective is the approach in your setting to involving parents and carers in reducing the poverty-related attainment gap?

Download(s)
PPT file: Early learning and childcare and the Scottish Attainment Challenge (4.8 MB)PPT file: Supporting young children's vocabulary (2.75 MB)

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Early Learning and Childcare and the Scottish Attainment Challenge

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This resource provides an overview of how early learning and childcare supports the aspirations of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, and practical guidance on how to improve the vocabulary of young learners. The resource links to research, practical suggestions and reflection questions.

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As part of our drive to ensure equity for all, from August 2022 we have secured funding to provide the role of an Equity
Champion within 7 nurseries.  This additional funding will enable an ECE or SECE to take on the role of equity champion in a funded role for a minimum of 1 day per week.  The nurseries where a funded equity champion will be in place from August 2022
are; East Plean, Borestone, Allans, Wellgreen, and Cowie.

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Hello my name is Alannah Key and I am Equity Champion within Wellgreen Nursery.

I work collaboratively with educators, children and families to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children.  Wellgreen nursery is in the heart of Stirling and we celebrate the individuality of every child.  I work closely with my Head of Nursery, Principal and all educators to track and monitor children’s learning and progress overtime and to identify any gaps. Through early intervention, effective strategies and targeted support we are working together to raise attainment, close the poverty related attainment gap and to support children to reach their full potential.

I have a passion and enthusiasm for early language and literacy development and love supporting our families through building positive relationships.

Email contact:  keya66s@glow.sch.uk

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Hi, I am Laurie Todd and have been a Senior Early Childhood Educator for four years at Allan’s Nursery. This year I have taken on the role of Equity Champion.

My role as the Equity Champion is ever evolving with the key focus on improving outcomes for children and families and reduce the attainment gap. Allan’s Nursery is situated in the historic heart of the city at the ‘Top of the Town’. At Allan’s we have recognised the diversity that comes with our setting and we celebrate this by ensuring all children feel confident, respected, included and nurtured within an interesting and stimulating environment which enables all our children to grow and develop to reach their full potential.

We empower our children as independent learners in an environment which values choice, individuality and respects the rights of the child. I work closely with educators to identify gaps in learning and through early interventions, targeted work and use of a range of strategies we work as team to raise our attainment levels and support all our children to reach their full potential.

Email contact:  toddl34s@glow.sch.uk

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Hi, my name is Julie Smith, I am currently the Senior at Borestone Nursery and have recently been appointed the role of Equity Champion.

As part of my Equity Champion Role, I have been working collaboratively with colleagues to collect, analyse data which tracks and monitors children’s progression, using this information to provide children and families with the support and help required at the right time as well as using information collected to evaluate for future improvements. I am currently working with staff to better understand the poverty related attainment gap and the inequalities that children and families may face.

Email contact:  smithj15s@glow.sch.uk

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Hi, my name is Sharon Doherty and I have been an ECE at East Plean Nursery for three years.

I have recently been appointed the Equity Champion role and have been working closely with educators and my Principal to identify gaps in learning through professional dialogue, tracking and monitoring meetings and data analysis.

Through early intervention, effective strategies and targeted support, we are aiming to close the poverty related attainment gap. I have a particular interest in the development of children’s early literacy skills. Research indicates that developing children’s listening and talking skills helps reduce the poverty-related attainment gap by improving learners’ outcomes across the three curriculum areas of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.

Email contact:  dohertys29s@glow.sch.uk

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Excellence through raising attainment: ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy, as well as the knowledge and skills necessary to shape their future as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens, and effective contributors;

Achieving equity: ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the poverty related attainment gap.

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Thank you to everyone who completed the survey we sent out.  We have complied the results and these are what you told us.

We asked - If available, what support would you find beneficial from the EEL's?
66% said overcoming data anxiety.
60%  said ways to work with families to reduce the impact of poverty.
53% said increasing your knowledge in ways you can raise attainment.

We asked - What do you think would be the most effective way in delivering support to your setting?
66% said support from an individual from an EEL.
53% said Network.

40% said a drop in session run by EEL's.

Other: 26%
Other responses were the following:

· We have staff member undertaking a role similar to that of an EEL. I think it would help her to have the change to chat to an EEL

· I think all of the above would have a positive impact and by providing a wide range of delivery models you will best meet the needs of individual staff with an interest in equity and those with lead roles who may be delivery some of the interventions.

· 1:1 support to personalise support.

· Balfron community event

We are now making plans on how we can action these.  If you have not yet taken the survey to give us your views, you can do this by clicking on the link in the section above.  Thank you.

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https://education.gov.scot/resources/scotlands-equity-toolkit/#

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Scottish Attainment Challenge: framework for recovery and accelerating progress

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Scottish Attainment Challenge: framework for recovery and accelerating progress

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https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-attainment-challenge-framework-recovery-accelerating-progress-2/

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Overview

Over the course of 2015 - 2021, the Scottish Attainment Challenge saw much progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap but at a limited pace. The pandemic disrupted the learning of our children and young people and had a disproportionate impact on children affected by poverty. Over the course of 2021/22 - 2025/26, the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme, backed by a commitment of £1 billion from the Scottish Government through the Attainment Scotland Fund ( ASF), aims to address these challenges and ensure that equity lies at the heart of the education experience for all. This investment builds upon the £750 million invested in tackling the poverty- related attainment gap from the programme's launch to 2021.

This Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress (the Framework) has been developed to support the Scottish Attainment Challenge. It aims to do the following:

Reinforce our collective commitment to equity in education, to mitigate the impact of poverty on children's outcomes and tackle the poverty-related attainment gap.

Set high expectations, including ambitious locally identified stretch aims for achieving the mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. By setting these stretch aims for 2025/26, we will see clear, ambitious trajectories for progress in each locality by the end of that three-year period (see template in Annex A). Supported by this information, nationally we can tailor further support for improvement, and focus on the immediate impact it can have on improving leadership, learning and teaching, and our work with families and communities, for the benefit of children and young people now.

Take advantage of multi-year funding allocations for schools and local authorities to plan, supported by the SAC logic model, and set aims for long-term progress in the mission of the Scottish Attainment Challenge. This will build on the sizeable investment in the Scottish Attainment Challenge to date, to make a greater difference, more quickly, for children and young people.

Use existing improvement processes, as far as possible, in order to minimise additional bureaucracy. Specific requirements within this Framework ensure there are clear local ambitions for progress that inform the national picture of those ambitions.

Through local plans and their accompanying stretch aims, drive improved outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty in the local authority.

In setting these stretch aims, a "core plus" model is expected:

The "core" sets a minimum requirement for aims measurable by a sub-set of the National Improvement Framework key measures based on national data and Insight data, and local data for health and wellbeing.

The "plus" should reflect additional local priorities, such as attendance, initial leaver destinations, literacy and numeracy in the senior phase, aims for Gaelic Medium Education, and aims for improved outcomes for children and young people who have experienced care and / or identified with additional support needs who experience poverty related barriers to learning.

Build on the continued commitment to empowerment for local planning and decision making, while ensuring strategic direction, support and challenge is provided by local authorities and national agencies. This will help achieve the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

Having first published this Framework in April 2022, we now have a first suite of ambitious local stretch aims for progress in 2022/23 which are available on gov.scot.

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Scottish Attainment Challenge: framework for recovery and accelerating progress

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A Framework to support schools, local authorities and others across the Scottish education system to support educational recovery and increase progress in improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty.

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https://www.ades.scot/News/168-acel-data-publication-december-2022

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ADES Association of Directors of Education in Scotland

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The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

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https://padlet.com/mariadocherty/national-counting-series-21udt2qka3obsvul

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https://sway.office.com/FEHD1R2FyWDO45Ih?ref=Link

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Welcome to January's issue of our Spotlighting Equity sway... the first of 2023. A very Happy New Year to everyone!

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Hi, my name is Veronica Walker and I have recently become the Equity Champion at Cowie Nursery.

Working closely with Maureen, our Equity and Excellence Lead, along with as educators, children and their families. My focus is on identifying gaps within our tracking and monitoring to provide targeted early interventions, improve the outcomes for our children and reduce the poverty related attainment gap.

We support our children with nurturing care and by knowing our children as individuals we ensure that we provide experiences tailored to them which will allow them to thrive.  By recognising a child’s right to education and the right to play as part of the UNCRC rights of the child, we look to provide children the opportunity to learn through play in the key areas of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.

I have a keen interest in literacy development, recognising the lifelong impact it can have not only academically but also on a person’s health and wellbeing, influencing all aspects of a child’s life into adulthood.

Email contact:  walkerv63s@glow.sch.uk

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How would you rate out Equity and Excellence Padlet?

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https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-scotland

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Our biggest annual road safety campaign

Let's talk about SPEED. Five people die on UK roads every day, so why do we still think it's OK to speed? Take part in Road Safety Week 2023 and join the national conversation.

We all drive too fast sometimes...

"I didn't notice I was going so fast!"

"Everyone else is doing it so why can't I?"

"A few miles an hour won't make much difference will it?"

But every time we driver faster than the speed limit, or too fast for the road conditions, we increase the risk of a crash - and we increase the chance that someone we love will be killed or hurt on a road.
Whoever you are, however you travel, We need to talk about SPEED.

#

Road Safety Week 2023 | 19-25 November 2023

Sign up now to take part in Road Safety Week 2023 and do something amazing to raise awareness of the dangers of excess or inappropriate speed. Help people understand why safe speeds are so vital for safe and healthy journeys.

Everyone who registers will get access to a free Road Safety Week action pack, full of ideas and activities.

Find out what's happening and how you can get involved. We will send updates by email to everyone who has registered.

#RoadSafetyWeek

#

What is Road Safety Week?

Road Safety Week is Brake's biggest road safety campaign. Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to share important road safety messages, remember people affected by road death and injury, and raise funds to help Brake care for more road victims and campaign for safe roads for everyone.

News and views from the Road Safety Week community

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The #Brake5 Challenge - a fun fundraising event for Road Safety Week

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Find out more about the people who get involved with Road Safety Week

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Road Safety Week 2023 is organised by Brake and sponsored by Arval, DHL and Autoglass. It supports the Department for Transport's Think! campaign. Thank you to all our sponsors, we couldn't do it without you!

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https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day