Onwards And Upwards Consultancy

Onwards And Upwards Consultancy EY Quality Consultant | Training & support | North East Scotland | Nursery and Childcare Setting Consultant

POV: You’ve just gone to the role play hair salon in nursery…✂️ one side shorter than the other 💦 your hair absolutely ...
18/05/2026

POV: You’ve just gone to the role play hair salon in nursery…

✂️ one side shorter than the other
💦 your hair absolutely soaked
💖 47 clips attached to your scalp
✨ a mystery amount of glitter added
🪮 aggressive brushing technique
…and somehow you’ve left with a diagnosis of “beautiful princess”

10/10 service honestly.

THINGS labelled as “wellbeing” in Early Years that are actually just survival:✨ A cold cup of tea ✨ Someone covering yo...
17/05/2026

THINGS labelled as “wellbeing” in Early Years that are actually just survival:

✨ A cold cup of tea
✨ Someone covering your toilet break
✨ Finding an untouched glue stick
✨ Getting to sit down during snack
✨ The nursery ordering biscuits instead of addressing burnout
✨ “Feel free to take 5 minutes if needed” … while ratios are on fire
✨ One random parent saying “you’re amazing” and carrying you for 3 weeks emotionally

Early Years practitioners deserve REAL wellbeing support, not just a wellbeing poster in the staff room 👀

Not every experienced practitioner should become a manager… and that’s okay 👀Some practitioners are absolutely incredibl...
15/05/2026

Not every experienced practitioner should become a manager… and that’s okay 👀

Some practitioners are absolutely incredible on the floor.
The magic they create with children? Unmatched.
The relationships they build with families? Amazing.

But management is a completely different skill set:
📋 staffing
📞 complaints
📈 occupancy
😅 budgets
📧 emails at 9pm
🔥 putting out fires all day

We need to stop acting like management is the “next step” for everyone in Early Years.

Sometimes the strongest settings are the ones where experienced practitioners are valued JUST as highly without being pushed into leadership roles.

Can we normalise career progression that doesn’t always end in management?

CCTV in early years settings… safeguarding tool or step too far?It’s a conversation that’s coming up more and more acros...
26/04/2026

CCTV in early years settings… safeguarding tool or step too far?

It’s a conversation that’s coming up more and more across the sector — and it’s not as straightforward as it might seem.

On one hand, CCTV can offer:
✔️ An added layer of safeguarding
✔️ Reassurance for parents
✔️ Support when reviewing incidents or concerns

But on the other hand, we have to ask some important questions.

What does constant surveillance do to:

* Practitioner trust and morale?
* Professional autonomy?
* The culture within a setting?

Because early years provision is built on relationships, trust, and professional judgement — not just what can be captured on a screen.

There are also practical considerations:
👉 Who has access to the footage?
👉 How is it stored and for how long?
👉 Is it being used for safeguarding… or performance monitoring?

CCTV isn’t inherently good or bad — but how it’s implemented matters.

If it’s introduced without clear purpose, transparency, and strong policies, it can quickly shift from safeguarding support to something that feels uncomfortable for staff.

This isn’t about taking sides.
It’s about opening up a conversation the sector needs to have.

So — where do you stand?

Is CCTV a necessary safeguard in today’s world…
or does it risk undermining the very foundations of early years practice?

👇 Let’s talk about it

The expansion of funded hours in Scotland is often positioned as a huge step forward for families… and in many ways, it ...
24/04/2026

The expansion of funded hours in Scotland is often positioned as a huge step forward for families… and in many ways, it is.

More funded childcare means increased access, better support for working parents, and more children benefiting from early learning experiences.

But there’s another side to this conversation that we can’t ignore.

Settings across the sector are feeling the pressure.

We’re hearing more about:

* Staffing challenges
* Financial sustainability
* The reality of delivering high-quality provision with increasing demand

Because the truth is — expansion without the right infrastructure can come at a cost.

And that cost is often carried by the very people delivering the care and education every day.

This isn’t about being “for” or “against” funded hours.
It’s about asking the right questions:

👉 Are we expanding in a way that is sustainable?
👉 Are settings truly being supported to deliver quality?
👉 What does this look like on the ground for practitioners?

Let’s open this up —
Where do you stand on the expansion of funded hours in Scotland?

We talk a lot about healthy eating in early years… but what about language nutrition?Just like children need regular, ri...
22/04/2026

We talk a lot about healthy eating in early years… but what about language nutrition?

Just like children need regular, rich food to grow physically, they need consistent, meaningful language to grow cognitively.

And this doesn’t come from structured “teaching moments” alone.

It’s in the everyday:
• Conversations during snack time
• Narrating play as it unfolds
• Back-and-forth interactions (serve and return)
• Giving children time to think and respond

Language nutrition is about quality AND quantity.

It’s not just hearing words—it’s experiencing connection through language.

For practitioners, this is where it gets important:
Are we:

* Expanding children’s sentences?
* Modelling new vocabulary naturally?
* Truly listening, not just responding?

Because the biggest impact doesn’t come from adding more to your day…
It comes from being more intentional in the moments you already have.

Language is the foundation for everything—communication, relationships, literacy, and learning.

And it starts with us.

What does language nutrition look like in your setting?

Observations in early years often get reduced to a simple question: on the floor or off the floor?But in reality, it’s n...
20/04/2026

Observations in early years often get reduced to a simple question: on the floor or off the floor?

But in reality, it’s not that simple.

Being on the floor, in the moment, noticing the small things—the look, the language, the interaction—that’s where the real insight lives. That’s where we truly see the child.

But insight doesn’t always come from the moment itself. It often comes afterwards… when there’s time to think, to connect what we’ve seen, and to consider what it actually means.

The risk is when practice leans too far either way.

When everything happens in the moment, it can become reactive rather than thoughtful.

When everything happens away from the room, it can lose the richness of the child’s lived experience.

Strong practice isn’t about choosing one approach over the other. It’s about creating space for both—being present enough to notice, and intentional enough to reflect.

Because meaningful observations aren’t about recording what a child did.

They’re about understanding who they are.

How does this show up in your setting?

Many practitioners say the expectations within early years have increased significantly over time.More responsibilities....
19/04/2026

Many practitioners say the expectations within early years have increased significantly over time.

More responsibilities.
More documentation.
More pressure.

But has the level of support for the workforce grown alongside those expectations?

What changes have you seen in the sector over the years?

This beautiful play dough station at Mini Mac’s in Aberdeenshire perfectly demonstrates how simple resources can create ...
18/04/2026

This beautiful play dough station at Mini Mac’s in Aberdeenshire perfectly demonstrates how simple resources can create incredibly rich learning opportunities. 🌿

Carefully presented loose parts, natural materials and tools invite children to explore textures, experiment with mark making and engage in imaginative play. From rolling and moulding to mixing and creating, every element of the space encourages curiosity and creativity.

What stands out most is the accessibility and organisation of the resources. Children can independently select what they need — whether it’s shells, gems, stamps or natural materials — supporting independence, decision making and ownership of their play.

These experiences naturally develop fine motor skills, early mathematics, language and storytelling, all through child-led exploration.

A lovely reminder that when environments are thoughtfully curated, children are empowered to become creators, problem solvers and confident learners.

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