Developing best practice in the Early Years: Practical Pedagogy, Research and Leadership

Aims of the programme:

• To improve early years leadership
• To improve pedagogical approach
• To improve pupil learning
• To improve pupil achievement and well-being

 Programme Leaders:

• Dan Lea (Deputy at Gearies Primary) and Vanessa Patel (Highlands primary Early Years SLE)

Network focus:

Over the course of the next school year, the members of the network will work collaboratively to:

1. Analysing their children’s needs, evaluating the impact of their existing practice and developing their own theories on how they can improve the effectiveness of their practice.
2. Using action research as a tool to enquire and improve practice, linking their classroom based research to effective early year’s pedagogy.
3. Engaging in collaborative, Ethnographic learning experiences with participants across a range of schools and settings
4. Identifying what “Great Pedagogy” for their own setting looks like
5. Developing the necessary leadership skills and knowledge which will ensure their professional learning is promoted and embedded into their settings.
6. Publishing their research to promote the reciprocity of their successes with other schools, practitioners, communities.