Rob Beal has joined the IS Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) team as Service Design and Planning Manager. Here, he introduces himself.
"Hi, I’m Rob Beal, and I recently joined the Improvement Service as the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Service Design and Planning Manager. Starting in September, I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting many colleagues and I’m really enjoying being back in the early years space.
"I come from a background in local government, where I’ve developed expertise in early years education, policy implementation, and strategic planning. More recently, I worked for a charity, where I project managed the creation of an app to support separating parents. However, returning to early learning and childcare feels like the right fit for me, and I’m looking forward to supporting councils in their efforts to improve services and outcomes for children and families.
"In my new role, I’ll be leading the Outcomes and Measurement Framework (OMF) project, collaborating with the Scottish Government, local authorities, and sector partners to co-design a tool that will help evaluate the impact of ELC services. I’ll also be working closely with councils to help overcome challenges in increasing uptake of funded places for two-year-olds, ensuring these services reach the children and families who need them most.
"When I’m not working, I’m a keen football fan and love getting to the Etihad to watch Manchester City play – after years of trying, I’ve finally converted my son into a City supporter, which makes the trips even better! I have three children, and in my downtime, I enjoy unwinding with a long walk and a good audiobook, accompanied by our two dogs.
"Feel free to reach out if you’d like to chat or collaborate!"
Workshop with Association of Directors of Education Scotland
On 13 September 2024, the ELC team proudly facilitated a key event hosted by the ADES (Association of Directors of Education Scotland) Early Years (EY) Workforce and Quality Subgroup. It brought together over 20 representatives from local authorities’ early years networks for a day of productive workshops, focused on enhancing the quality and future of the early learning and childcare profession.
Throughout the day, participants engaged in a series of collaborative activities, curated by IS, to explore shared visions for the future of ELC and address vital themes related to workforce development and quality improvement.
The event featured multiple breakout sessions, each focusing on key areas within the ELC profession. Attendees utilised the “Rose, Thorn, Bud” thinking method to explore opportunities and challenges, identifying potential steps for future action. The day wrapped up with a reflective session, where participants discussed their shared vision for the future of the profession.
This gathering provided a valuable platform for attendees to exchange insights, explore strategies, and consider impactful improvements in the profession. We are currently compiling the outcomes and action points from the event, which will be shared with the ADES EY Subgroup. Our next step will be to collaborate with them to bring some of these ideas to life. We look forward to seeing how the insights from this day will help shape and strengthen the ELC workforce as we continue our shared commitment to excellence across the sector.
ELC Newsletter
In response to feedback given during this year’s stakeholder survey, our ELC team at Improvement Service are creating a newsletter to share updates with all local authority ELC colleagues. We intend this to be a quarterly newsletter featuring updates, key documents and notification of any upcoming events. You can sign up for the newsletter here.