Presentation Overview
Join SERA EYN as we reflect on the most recent HMIE report about Play Pedagogy. With the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, reactions to PISA, Scotland’s Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030 and the recent HIME report on Play Pedagogy, where does this leave our belief in the power of play? Come along and join in the conversation about play in Scotland.
Play Pedagogy: Summary of Inspection Findings https://educationinspectorate.
Key Speakers:
Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop
Dr Marion Burns
Lisa McCabe
Details of the event:
Introduction
The session will begin with an overview from Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop on why we are having this conversation. Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop MBE is Emeritus Professor at the University of Strathclyde and a highly respected early childhood educator and researcher, with over 50 years of experience in education. Her career has spanned teaching, headship, higher education and research, with a particular focus on early childhood pedagogy, educational transitions and continuity in children’s learning experiences.
Play in Focus: A Conversation with Marion Burns and Lisa McCabe
We will then hear from Dr Marion Burns and Lisa McCabe who will answer questions from our SERA EYN co-convenors and discuss the importance of Play in Education today.
Dr Marion Burns is a highly respected early years educator, researcher and advocate, with over 40 years of experience in Scottish education. She served as an HM Inspector of Education from 2004 until her retirement from Education Scotland in 2021, including as HMI Lead Officer for Early Learning and Childcare. Marion is a co-author of Scotland’s national practice guidance, ‘Realising the Ambition: Being Me’ (2020), and is Chair of the Board of Early Years Scotland.
Lisa McCabe is Education Service Manager at Falkirk Council and a passionate advocate for high-quality, play pedagogy. Lisa has played a key leadership role in establishing and embedding play pedagogy across Falkirk’s Early Level through the council’s ‘Play is the Way’ approach. Grounded in research, national guidance and a strong image of the child as capable, curious and competent, this approach reflects Falkirk Council’s commitment to developmentally appropriate, child-centred learning. Lisa has contributed to professional dialogue and development around play pedagogy, sharing Falkirk’s journey and exploring the opportunities and challenges of embedding play within Scottish education.
Your Voice Matters: An Open Dialogue on Play
We will then open up the discussion to invite everyone to share their experiences, reflections and stories of how play pedagogy is being embraced and embedded within their own settings, services and local authorities, while also exploring the challenges and barriers they may face along the way.
Continuing the Conversation: Reflections and Next Steps
Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop will bring our session to a close, drawing together key themes, reflections and questions emerging from our conversations. Together, we will consider how we can build on these discussions, sustain professional dialogue and continue to champion play pedagogy across Scottish education.
Date: Thursday 26th November 2026
Time: 4:30-6:00 pm
Location: Online, MS Teams
Tickets: Book online tickets here
Organisers: Early Years Network