Scotland’s citizens of the future say ‘Namaste’ to new resource on physical activity
  Kids at Step by Step nursery in Cumbernauld were joined by our Chief Executive, Jackie Irvine and showed off their yoga moves at the official launch of My Active World.
Jackie said: “My Active World provides examples of a wide range of cost-effective and accessible activities, but also highlights the importance of talking to kids about the challenges they may face in getting active and involving them in decisions about how to overcome them. An active lifestyle has proven benefits, improving not only physical but also mental health and wellbeing. Getting into good habits at a young age can set the next generation up for better long-term prospects, while also building social and problem-solving skills in the short term – not to mention confidence."
Manager of Step by Step private nursery, Claire Irvine said: “Yoga helps the children manage anxiety, boost self-esteem, supports self-regulation and increases body awareness and mindfulness. It's wonderful to see the children learn the poses, they show them to their parents at home and that gets families involved in the nursery."
Lyra, 3, said: "I like doing yoga because I can reach for the stars." Fellow-yogi, Callie, 4 added: "‘I like yoga because I like doing the bending."
Apprenticeships at work in care homes
We are working with services and staff, people who experience care, relatives, representative groups and others. This is to ensure that services have the right people with the right skills in place so people can experience the best health and care outcomes.
As part of this work, our Safe Staffing Programme team looked at apprenticeships and how they are working in care homes. We spoke with Isla Cowe, manager of Allachburn care home in Aberdeenshire who currently supports foundation apprentices who are aged 16 plus. The apprentices are still at school, but doing one day a week work experience with support from a mentor. These apprenticeships are run by the local school workforce development team.
Isla’s face lit up as she described how people living in the service do things with the younger apprentices that they would not usually do. One woman likes to walk with purpose - but she would not go outdoors. She now does so eagerly with an apprentice she has bonded with. Another woman is benefiting from one-to-one time doing arts and crafts and chatting.
Isla says this work is hugely beneficial for everyone involved. She added that the service needs to take time to make sure apprentices feel comfortable in a new environment, especially given the negative media attention care homes can receive.
The care home has also supported modern apprenticeships, which are in addition to the regular workforce. Modern apprentices work five days a week in the care home from September to March. They get day release for training and gain their SVQ2 at the end. They are not registered with the SSSC. Although apprentices have an external mentor, Isla said it works better if they also have a mentor based in the care home. She was able to offer two former modern apprentices jobs as assistant managers, so this can be an additional recruitment avenue for homes which have the capacity.
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Sewing with young children
 Sharon Imray, owner of Poppies Pre School Ltd in Laurencekirk, Tracy Thomson, head of centre for City of Edinburgh Council, and Jane Whinnett MBE, retired nursery head teacher and Froebel Trust travelling tutor, have co-authored a new Froebel Trust sewing pamphlet on sewing with young children. Between them they have a wealth of experience to share with early years practitioners.
The launch of the pamphlet was at the end of January and so far the response has been very positive. Many early years settings are keen to approach or extend their sewing experiences with their children. Many children from Poppies feature in the pamphlet and the service are extremely proud of the finished work.
Sharon said: “This pamphlet was a joy to work on. Sewing is an important life skill that we want our children to have and build on for life. We are excited to see what other settings do and where this will lead.”
Alison Hawkins, nursery head at Wester Coates nursery school in Edinburgh, attended the online launch and said: "Thrilled at the resurgence over the past decade or so, of Froebelian principles in many early years centres, I was very pleased to see the publication and accompanying webinar about one of Friedrich Froebel's occupations - sewing. Sewing is a skill which has purpose, mindfulness and enjoyment at its core, and this lovely pamphlet offers a delightful, informative and helpful introduction to fostering this skill with young children. Beautifully set out and illustrated it will serve the sector well."
"The authors are hoping that the pamphlet will inspire and support practitioners to consider developing sewing within their nursery practice. In this way the adults can then support and develop children’s creativity and bring their ideas to fruition. It is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with families sharing skills and developing a community sewing bee.”
You can find the pamphlet here.
Arts in Care programme a care home success
 A programme that placed professional artists in older people’s care homes in Scotland for a series of regular creative activities was a positive experience for residents, staff and the artists themselves, a report has found.
Research Scotland carried out an independent evaluation of the project. The research found that older people enjoyed the creative activities and looked forward to them. Working closely with an artist, even when using unfamiliar artforms, was often a stimulus for further conversation or sparking memories. For the artists, the importance of the training beforehand was clear, as was the vital support of care home staff.
Head of Improvement Support, Craig Morris, said: “This inspiring programme made a tremendous difference to the lives of everyone involved. Working in collaboration with our partners, the programme showed that taking part in different types of arts activities can have a positive impact on older people experiencing care.
“This report provides evidence that as a result of the programme, care staff are more empowered and confident to deliver arts sessions. The benefits of that can be immediate and support wellbeing for staff as well as for those experiencing care. The Care Inspectorate is proud to have been part of this work.”
Scottish Government consultation response: Inspection of early learning and childcare and school age childcare services
The Scottish Government has published their response to the findings of the recent consultation on inspection of early learning and childcare (ELC) and school age childcare (SAC) services, alongside the full consultation analysis report.
The consultation was undertaken last year following recent independent advice and recommendations provided to the Scottish Government on aspects of education reform in Scotland.
The published consultation response outlines some areas where work is already underway or developing in terms of improving the inspection landscape. It also sets out where action will be taken with others to respond more fully to the consultation findings in the coming months.
It also contains a joint statement from the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland that confirms their commitment to working together to develop a shared framework for inspections, in partnership with each other and the sector.
Using technology to support people experiencing care
 Thank you to those who attended our webinar on using technology to support good practice. We were delighted to engage with 279 people. If you missed it, you can watch it back here. You can also download our technology guide here.
Annual returns now closed
This year’s annual returns have now closed. We would like to thank everyone who submitted their annual return to us by the deadline, Sunday 19 March 2023. The information you have provided will help us plan, inform and carry out our inspections and improvement work.
March publications
This month we have published the below reports.
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