This article presents an exploration of a group of Early Years Practitioners' (EYPs) perceptions of gender that may provide some insight into the growing divide between boys' and girls' educational performance (Burusic et al., 2012). I argue that the current media and educational interest in the gendered brain (Sax, 2005) and the influences that surround the child (Eckert and McConnell, 2013), can result in children acquiring social expectations and attitudes to learning that are different for both sexes. The frequent dimorphic treatment of boys and girls is often based on assumed biological differences (Baron-Cohen et al, 2004) that suggest that the sexes learn differently. This can result in the approaches to the care and education of children being established on their sex categories rather than their individual needs. My focus here is to explore practitioners' expectations and understanding of children's behaviour and learning in the nursery environment. The study is premised on the belief that practitioners' perceptions of gender could, as argued by Eliot (2009), result in self-fulfilling prophecies being (re)produced and (re)created. The deployment of stereotypical assumptions and practices could, I suggest, limit children's opportunities. The data used here is drawn from my doctoral study of the nature of gender as was understood by eight EYPs who took part in five discussion group sessions. An interpretative paradigm was adopted, where the EYPs' discussed their experiences and understanding of gender from their practice. Following Holloway and Wheeler (2013), the study explored experiences and perceptions in order to illuminate meaning and understanding. The findings indicated that there is a belief amongst the group of practitioners with whom I worked that gender is either innate or learned and that EYPs play no role in its development. The tentative conclusions suggest that changes to the education and training of EYPs are required in order to raise awareness of gender issues in nurseries. I suggest that there is a need to place gender back on the education and training agenda for EYP in order to support changes to practice that could, in turn, provide children with more equitable teaching and learning experiences.

Wingrave, M., and McMahon, M. (2016) Professionalisation through academicisation: valuing and developing the early years sector in Scotland. Professional Development in Education, 42(5), pp. 710-731. (doi:10.1080/19415257.2015 This is the author's final accepted version.There may be differences between this version and the published version. Key to this has been the implementation of many of the recommendations made by Starting Strong II. In this article we consider the repositioning of the Early Years (EY) sector in Scotland and, drawing on empirical research, discuss the experiences of a group of EY leaders who are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council. The group reported changes to their professional status, in relation to self, peers and fellow professionals, including colleagues from the compulsory education sector. Participants articulated a strong sense that their professional identity was being re-written to meet these new and challenging expectations. However issues of parity, particularly in relation to teachers, and in connection to pay and conditions, were reported and concern expressed over the value placed on the contribution of EY to children's education which will result in difficultly of recruitment and retention of high quality staff required to deliver this service

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