Alison Cumming

Alison Cumming has been Director of Early Learning and Childcare since March 2021.

Responsibilities

The Director of Early Learning and Childcare oversees the Early Learning and Childcare Directorate.

Biography

Alison led the on the expansion of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to 1,140 hours, which took effect in August 2021. She was previously Deputy Director for Early Learning and Childcare, taking over the director role on an interim basis in March 2020. 

Prior to joining the ELC programme in 2016, Alison was Head of Tax Policy and held a number of roles in health finance. Alison is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and completed her professional training in the public sector audit team at KPMG International before joining the Scottish Government in 2009. Alison has a degree in law and accountancy and a PhD in accounting, both from the University of Edinburgh.