Minister for Children and Young People meets Tiny Teacher

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People, went back to school today [Tuesday, 8 May 2012] to find out how babies are helping to encourage positive behaviour and reduce levels of aggression in classrooms across Perth and Kinross.

The Minister attended a Roots of Empathy class at Our Lady's Primary School in Perth to meet a primary three class and their 'Tiny Teacher', seven-month old Molly Tierney. Roots of Empathy - 'empathy' being the ability to identify and understand another's feelings - is an innovative programme which encourages children to interact in a nurturing manner by bringing a baby and its parent into the classroom over the course of the school year. Leading charity Action for Children Scotland is working in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council to deliver Roots of Empathy to 13 primary schools in the area.

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People said: "Roots of Empathy is an innovative programme which takes an early intervention approach to tackling and reducing aggression and bullying in schools.

"Programmes like this can have a hugely positive influence on a child's development so I'm pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support Roots of Empathy through the Early Years Early Action Fund, managed by Inspiring Scotland."

The primary focus of Roots of Empathy is to reduce problem behavior, including fighting and bullying, in classrooms. Independent evaluations of the programme carried out in Canada - where the programme originated and has been active for the longest period of time - revealed a significant increase in peer acceptance  in 74% of children and a decrease in social aggression in 39% of children .

Paul Carberry, operational director of children's services at Action for Children Scotland, explained how the programme works: "Roots of Empathy teaches school children to understand their own feelings and the feelings of others by using a baby from the local community as a 'tiny teacher'. Observing the attentive, loving interaction between the parent and the child teaches pupils to better understand their own feelings and the feelings of others; resulting in more respectful relationships and a dramatic reduction in levels of aggression among school children.

"At Action for Children, we are committed to promoting the benefits of early intervention and Roots of Empathy is an excellent example of this. By increasing levels of 'emotional literacy' in children at a young age we can lay the foundation for safe and caring classrooms and, in the long-term, safe and caring societies."

Roots of Empathy was developed by internationally-recognised social entrepreneur, educator, author, child advocate and parenting expert, Mary Gordon, in 1996.  Over 450,000 children have taken part in the programme worldwide, including Canada, the USA, New Zealand, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The programme was piloted in North Lanarkshire in 2010 by Action for Children Scotland - the first time it was delivered anywhere in Britain.

Sheena Devlin, Perth & Kinross Council's Head of Education - Early Years & Primary said: "It is crucial that children gain an early understanding of their own feelings, learning to manage and express them appropriately. They also need to understand the feelings of those people around them so their relationships with others are positive ones. For that reason we are very pleased to bring Roots of Empathy into our classrooms to show pupils that they can interact with care, thought and respect."

Action for Children Scotland has introduced Roots of Empathy to 98 primary schools in 16 local authorities across Scotland following investment from the Early Years Early Action Fund, delivered by Inspiring Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government. 

Andrew Muirhead, Chief Executive of Inspiring Scotland said: "It has been fantastic to visit Our Lady's Primary School today and  be part of a very special lesson lead by the Roots of Empathy 'Tiny Teacher'. We are delighted to be able to support Action for Children to bring this powerful programme to more children across Scotland.  Action for Children is one of 24 charitable ventures selected to receive investment through the Early Years Early Action Fund which aims to ensure a child gets the best start in life so they can grow into a happy and healthy adult."