Evaluation Report - January 2012

In 2011 a team of enthusiastic and highly motivated staff sought funding and approval for the establishment of an innovative provision within the Secondary School to provide a much needed resource for the community and learning opportunities for pupils.  A small amount of money and a great deal of personal effort by the staff involved led to the creation of the Tots and Teens Playgroup.

To ensure that we could understand and learn from the impact of this new provision an evaluation framework was established.  The evaluation report below sets out what we have learned in the first place and provides recommendations for the future.

Highlights have been the wider impact of play on the children’s lives, the growth in confidence in those S3 pupils involved and the fact that there were unexpected benefits for parents which we would not have realised if this evaluation had not been in place.

Please take the time to read this short report and to learn more about the importance of play in the early years.

New Playgroup Provides Training Opportunity for Teens

A new playgroup, Tots and Teens, opens in Haddington on Tuesday 6 September in dedicated space at Knox Academy. Tots and Teens is a joint project of council departments, including the Early Years and Childcare Team, Educational Psychologists and staff from Knox Academy, and offers both childcare facilities and an opportunity for teenagers to learn more about pre-school children.

Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Cllr Peter MacKenzie, explained: “The playgroup, and staff within it, will work alongside Knox Academy school staff and mentor pupils to provide the highest standards of care, and a broad range of play experiences and opportunities for the children. This will provide an opportunity for Knox pupils to gain hands on, real life work experience with young children. Having a mix of pupils and staff brings the best of both worlds; enthusiasm, energy and ideas from the pupils, who are guided by staff, with the maturity, knowledge and experience of pre-school childcare.”

The playgroup will run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings 9.30 – 11.20 am and is open to children aged 2 – 5 years living within the Haddington area. In addition to helping at the playgroup Knox Academy pupils will also have the opportunity to complete a six week, one session a week certificated course, Introduction to Childcare facilitated by Jewel & Esk College.

Any parents interested in obtaining more details can drop into the open session or contact 07974 379161 or 01620 827156.