Early learning and childcare quality indicators: Learning, teaching and assessment
Learning, teaching and assessment is an Education Scotland 'children play and learn' quality indicator (QI).
There are illustrations of practice and challenge questions below. These can help you to assess your current practices and identify areas for growth. There are no 'weak' illustrations for this QI.
For more information about the principles of this framework and the grading criteria, return to the framework home page.
Themes for learning, teaching and assessment
The themes for this QI are:
- children’s experiences and spaces
- interactions to support learning
- planning and assessment
- tracking and monitoring
About this quality indicator
This indicator focuses on how children benefit from access to high quality spaces and purposefully engage in a wide range of interesting experiences. It demonstrates the importance of a high level of skill and clear understanding of early years pedagogy, the concept of play, child development and children’s rights.
Learning, teaching and assessment highlights the importance of observing and interacting sensitively with children and planning and assessing their learning. It recognises the importance of involving children fully in planning their play and learning in the setting, outdoors and in the local community.
This QI also highlights the importance of robust tracking and monitoring of children’s progress for practitioners to know children very well as learners.
'Very good' children's experiences and spaces
Our staff make very good use of the indoor and outdoor spaces and local community to provide high quality, real-life experiences for children. Children’s wellbeing and developmental needs are met very well through carefully considered spaces and experiences.
Our children are highly confident and use the available spaces very well to meet their changing developmental needs. Throughout the setting there are stimulating spaces where children explore, experiment, and develop curiosity and creativity.
Children access attractive well-planned spaces where they develop high levels of independence and can rest and be calm. Their ideas, opinions and involvement are respected and acted upon when spaces are being developed.
Children use a wide variety of technology meaningfully to develop and extend their learning. We involve children purposefully in planning and evaluating their learning spaces and experiences.
'Very good' interactions to support learning
We have a very good understanding of early learning pedagogy and skilfully put this into practice. Respectful relationships and children’s rights are at the heart of all our interactions.
Our staff listen carefully to children’s views and are attuned to their needs, interests and learning styles. Our staff are skilled at knowing when to step back and observe and when to use well-considered questions, commentary and modelling to support, deepen and extend their learning.
We make highly effective use of technology to enrich our learning and teaching. Our high-quality interactions ensure children have the time and space to explore their interests and develop their skills. We value their opinions and support all children to have a voice. We interact sensitively with parents and involve them in all aspects of their child’s learning.
'Very good' planning and assessment
We have a very clear understanding of how children learn and develop and know each individual child very well. Our staff are highly responsive to children and plan exciting experiences with them that encourage the development of curiosity, inquiry and creativity. Staff plan an appropriate balance of child and adult-led experiences that respond meaningfully to the changing needs and interests of all children.
Children are fully involved in planning and can talk about what they are learning. Parents are consulted and involved meaningfully in planning and supporting their child’s learning. Experiences are relevant to children and develop their interests across all areas of the curriculum. We are highly skilled at observing and assessing children’s learning and identifying their next steps.
Our staff use assessment information with children and their parents to plan appropriate experiences to help children to continue to make progress and deepen their learning. Through talking together with colleagues within and beyond our setting, we have a shared understanding of children’s progress and achievements as they grow and learn.
'Very good' tracking and monitoring
Staff use very effective systems to monitor, record, evaluate and report on progress across all areas of the curriculum. We involve children and parents meaningfully in this process.
Our robust tracking systems inform our pedagogy and ensure we provide breadth, depth and balance across the curriculum for all children. We monitor planned interventions carefully to ensure they are having a positive impact on children’s learning and development.
Parents have a clear understanding of what is working well for their children and how they will be supported to make continued progress.
The following challenge questions can support your self-evaluation:
- How does our pedagogy influence our interactions, experiences and spaces?
- How well do staff involve children and families to review and adapt spaces indoors and outdoors to impact positively on children’s wellbeing and learning?
- How do staff use the community and spaces beyond the setting to extend children’s learning?
- How do staff enhance spaces to support children’s wellbeing and facilitate their creativity, thinking and independence?
- In what ways do spaces and resources allow children to apply skills, including digital skills, in relevant and meaningful ways?
- How do staff use interactions to support, challenge and extend children’s thinking and learning?
- In what ways do staff use technology to support children’s thinking and learning?
- In what ways do children influence planning to take their interests forward?
- How well does observation, interpretation and documentation support staff to plan experiences, which are suitably challenging to meet children’s wellbeing and learning needs?
- How robust are our processes for tracking and monitoring learning to identify children’s strengths, individual needs or gaps in their experiences or learning?
- How well do staff use their robust discussions about children’s learning to make sound judgements about their progress?
- How reliable is our professional judgement?
