Education in Scotland is markedly different from what happens in the rest of the UK - with a different National Curriculum, school boards to oversee school management and a General Teaching Council which has been in existence since 1965. Whilst there are many examples of successful and innovative practice in Scotland, the system is quite often not recognised as different by writers who talk about the UK education system as if it were one smooth whole. This book describes recent developments in both legislation and practice in Scotland, drawing comparisons with the English system. Chapters...

Currently, the majority of textbooks for early childhood education in the UK focus on the situation in England. As a result, readers may have a skewed perspective on policy and practice, and not be aware of the varying and different contexts in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Also, those working in settings not in England have to work hard to apply texts to their own contexts. This book gives the reader easy access to information on the policies and practices in ECEC across each of the countries in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Each chapter covers background information; policy...