How do nurseries get info from home?

[jadavi]

I was wondering with the new emphasis on parent partnership (more since sept changes) if anyone has noticed nurseries being more interactive with parents and your setting?
I'm looking for new ways to find info about what the child does at home as Ofsted requires this now.
Parents are always so passive with me- they write bland happy statements in the LJ at my request, they answer questions at the door in general terms and they fill in my parents questionaire again very generally saying how happy they are and no they have no suggestions yo make! They are happy bunnies and love me! Blush....
I was wondering about some sort of template for them to regularly fill in so I can actually get some specifics from them.....
(I'm only doing this to comply with Ofsted - I hate hassling them and i feel confident personally that eyfs is competently in place here.)
Has anyone found a good way of getting parents to be more interactive?
All I have come up with would be to write a paragraph every week or so reporting exactly what the parent has said to me. Would this do it to satisy ****** ofsted do you think ?
Only nervous as inspection due this year......

[TAZ]

I often invite parents in for a coffee, we get to have a good informal chat, I can see them interacting with their children and I get to ask more questions than I get a chance to when we are getting shoes & coats on at the front door as parent needs to rush off to the next thing!

[blue bear]

I use a variety of ways to gain info, some parents suit different things so I keep varying it.

Daily diary
Daily chats
Share a coffee
Meet up at toddlers or soft play
Questionnaires,this includes numbers to rate me as well as space to make comments
Friend parents on Facebook, print off comments they make about their child's achievements and home experiences
Notelets that go home each week, for parents to write on something new their child has achieved,
Each child had heir own photo album and are encouraged to bring in photos or send postcards from holidays/visits to go in it.

I feel I get a good rounded view of each child, some of the above suit some parents better than others it's just a matter of working out what suits each family. The nurseries I have contact with ask lots of questions on a form when the child first starts, one ask parents for comments on the lj three times a year the others don't. I dont see any evidence of child's achievements at home in the lj yet at an inspection carried out last month the inspector wrote, they share info with parents well,they do lovely news letters, maybe that is what she meant?

[sarah707]

Try asking specific questions at collection / drop off times - what is your child's favourite book at home? What songs do you sing during nappy changing? Where did you go at the weekend - I want to use your outings to talk about during the day?

Make a note 'handover notes' somewhere in the child's paperwork and chat about how you follow up on home interests :D

[LauraS]

This isn't since the September changes (dates back about two years) but the nursery that I used for our youngest daughter didn't communicate re home interests. I had no idea that such things as learning journals even existed until she had a 'parents evening' two months before she left to go to reception class at school - she's been there from being a few months old :rolleyes:. On collection, they would reel off breakfast menu - all/some/none, lunch menu - all/some/none and dinner all/some/none. Never asked anything about home interests or routines, never gave more info other than to say nappies have run out. Had no idea about keyworkers. Went outside of the setting on trips once a year (once to library, once to a play park, once to soft play). They had a termly newsletter and a noticeboard, plus a display of the 'kids' work and that was it. A friend who works there says that they only do individual planning 'sometimes' - they have too many kids to plan for individuals. Yet they managed an outstanding.

I know this is 'old' EYFS but when I have been reading inspection reports lately and they pick CMs up on sharing learning with parents, range of trips and activities, following individual needs and interests - it makes me wonder if CMs are held to higher standards?


As for me, I've tried:
- Write down in my diary handover notes, reporting what was said by parents. I note texts too, and emails. In kids individual planning I then reference the handover notes (making the link blinking obvious lol)
- Invite parents in - sometimes they just stay for ten mins, sometimes longer - I had parents for mulled wine the Saturday after we broke up for Christmas :)
- Have little 'what I did at home' notes for LJs - either filled in with parent or by me re. what they said.
- Questionnaires