Last week, I came across a headline ranking the “10 worst performing” Scottish council areas for Higher passes. I stopped at the words worst performing . Not because the data do not matter. They absolutely do. Exam results tell us something important about the experiences and outcomes of young people across Scotland…
Childhood and Transitions
Inclusion and Belonging
Childhood and Transitions
Inclusion and Belonging
Inclusive education is often discussed in terms of access, support and adaptation. But inclusion is also shaped by something more subtle: the ways children are invited to think, speak and…
For some children, childhood is not primarily a landscape of play, curiosity and possibility. It is a landscape of uncertainty. Before they arrive at nursery or school, they may already be carrying…
This blog explores what Froebelian ideas can offer young people beyond early childhood. Drawing on my work with Foundation Apprenticeships, it considers how freedom with guidance, relationships…
Cranstonhill Nursery offers a powerful example of Froebelian philosophy lived through everyday practice. This reflection explores how relationships, trust, thoughtful environments and Grá shape a…
This blog explores the relationship between knowledge, curiosity and learner agency. It asks whether education can introduce children and young people to important knowledge while still leaving space…
Play is often praised as central to early childhood, yet it is still too easily treated as something separate from “real” learning. This article explores a different idea: that play is itself a form…
This blog explores the way resilience is often understood and used within education, asking whether we sometimes place too much responsibility on children to cope with difficult circumstances rather…
Free play is often treated as the space between more formal moments of learning, yet some of the most complex thinking and relationship-building in early childhood happens within play itself. This…