The Creating a Culture for Learning (CCL) Scale: An International Quality Improvement Tool for Educators Working with Children Aged 4-8+

Designed to measure the quality of pedagogy and practice, this essential tool will help early years educators, teachers and school leadership successfully develop their children’s positive dispositions, self-regulation, perseverance, engagement, ability to learn and citizenship. This unique Creating a Culture for Learning in the Classroom measurement scale is versatile and can be used in a number of ways. Educators can use it for self-evaluation for their own practice, so that they can build on what they already do and improve where they need to. Leadership teams and mentors can use it to audit quality, supporting positive discussions and the setting of development targets. Finally, inspectors and researchers will find it essential to capture the quality of support and teaching for creating a culture for learning. The scale itself is informed by the evidence base of effective practice linked to improved children’s outcomes. It focuses on supporting positive, respectful relationships and building cultures for learning. It includes both the ‘how’ and ‘what’ to develop when supporting children’s self-regulation and personal, social, emotional and academic achievements. The scale is particularly useful when supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with additional learning needs, and may also resolve attendance issues.

Titles also available from the same author team, all published by Routledge:

The Improving Maths Pedagogy and Practice (IMPP) Scale

The Early Childhood Quality Rating Scale – Emergent Curriculum (ECQRS-EC)

The Pedagogical Leadership in the Early Years (PLEY) Quality Rating Scale

The Movement Environment Rating Scale (MOVERS)

The Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being (SSTEW) Scale

Denise Kingston is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sussex and an educational psychologist, trainer and consultant.

Iram Siraj is Emeritus Professor of Child Development and Education at the University of Oxford and Research Professor at the University of Maynooth, Ireland.

Judy Barrett (PGCE) is a former primary school teacher.