Don Ledingham’s Learning Log

Met Maureen Jobson, education officer, at 8.30am. We talked about the work she has been doing this week with all our nursery nurses and teachers. The sessions have been looking at how we can improve the planning process. There can be no doubt that an enriching and well structured nursery experience provides a very sound foundation for subsequent education to build upon.

We set up a trial nursery nurse section on the website and the potential of creating a community of professionals helping each other to improve their practice is a very exciting prospect. It is of relevance that nursery education is leading the way in this respect for the whole authority. We also set up some of Maureen's notes on planning for nurses and teachers to access and download.

Attended the Pupil Support meeting at 9.00am. We have agreed that an education officer should attend their fortnightly meeting on rotation to ensure linkage between the teams. This will be reciprocated by Sheila Ainslie attending the weekly education officer meeting.

Met Graham Sales, one of our management information support officers, at 10.00am. Graham has been setting up an Access database which collates and enables easy acces to any information about our schools. I was very taken by the system he showed me. If we can be rigorous about collecting and inputting data then we would certainly apear to have the means to extract useful and meaningful information to suppport our work and help us to know our schools better.

Meeting with Councillors John Ross, Education Committee convener, and Maureeen Talac, Depute Convener, at 12.00 with Alan Blackie and Alan Ross. These briefings take place on a regular basis. I updated them on the attainment action plan and the exc-el website.

Attended the nursery education training event at North Berwick Nursery School. I was struck by the fact that there are more similarities than differences between the challenges facing nursery teachers and nurses and teachers in secondary and primary schools. We all need to be clear about our desired outcomes of the teaching and learning process; we all need to well prepared in terms of our planning; and we all need to consider next steps. The challenge is to undertake these planning tasks in away which supports the teaching and learning process in a manageable and sustainable manner.

Returned to John Muir House to meet Caroyn Walker, our Personnel officer. Carolyn briefed me on her work and that of the department.

Correspondence and e mail until 6.15pm