Sharing children's records of progress with schools

[Simona]

Do you have a meeting set up in your LA every year around this time where cms, preschools and nurseries get to meet the teachers and share children's records as part of the transition to school?

How is it organized and are cms fully included? by which I mean is the meeting at a time suitable to you and how are cms' contributions valued by both LA and school?

[Nicola Carlyle]

No we don't! Depending g on where the child spent most of its time before starting school depends on who writes a transition report. That's it. No meetings etc just a piece of paper.

[Sarsar3NCH]

Here preschools are invited into school but not CMs we have been asked to submit transition docs the same as preschool for the first time this year (accredited CMs have always sent these but 1st time for those not accessing funding for that child) but not to attend the planning meetings

[loocyloo]

my local school asked me if I would like to attend the transition meeting for staff, but I said no, as none moving up to school this year. I also got invited to the new parents evening, but I couldn't go ( plus, I don't have any spaces for schoolies so didn't want to advertise myself! )

I haven't heard anything from the other schools that EY mindees attend. mind you, none of those move up this year either!

[The Juggler]

my local nursery school invite all the teachers from the local schools the children WILL be going to in on one day and talk to them. I give my nursery a transition report from me to help with their own oney they prepare :thumbsup:

[miffy]

Nope, never been invited to anything like that

Miffy xx

[Simona]

Thank you everyone ...keep posting your experience as we seem to have another area where things are done according to local flavour and where the inclusion of cms leaves a lot to be desired!!!

This type of activity is basically 'working with other professionals' and good evidence for Ofsted of your CPD, especially for independent cms or those with little local support, when engaging with other professional agencies but the opportunity is not open to all as I read here

In addition passing on records to the school is best practice in 'transition'...now that is a big topic!!! sad that all LAs preach about them but few actually make the process easy ....

So what is the point of the 2 year old Progress check introduced with EYFS 2012 ? identify emerging concerns and report them...well if we have no one to report them to how will the check be a success??
and if a child gets to school and some issue is identified what will the school do then?...intervention of course, the school gets money when the children go to KS1 to repair what should have been picked up years before...hope you see what I mean?

[loocyloo]

as far as I can tell, my experience both here and where I used to live, a lot of the contact and inclusion in events for childminders is down to how individual childminders relate to and interact with the schools & others settings.

I am always friendly, helpful and get involved in things. (at school they knew I was a childminder when my children started, but it is as a parent they have got to know me) i get asked to go to things as a childminder. other childminders don't get asked, probably because they keep themselves to themselves and don't get involved. for example - i go to class assemblies with all the minded children, the other local childminders don't. or it might be that i am always there that i hear about things and they feel they have to ask me ;):D

i had the same experience at my old school!

[Simona]

I should have clarified this point: my LA arranges this meeting every year and all school teachers are invited and all providers, including cms, although the time is not really suitable for us

I am not sure how those who do not attend get to share with the school...as you say it is up to them to engage but I what I am trying to find out is if schools value our input and what we have recorded in terms of children's progress

[Mouse]

I should have clarified this point: my LA arranges this meeting every year and all school teachers are invited and all providers, including cms, although the time is not really suitable for us

I am not sure how those who do not attend get to share with the school...as you say it is up to them to engage but I what I am trying to find out is if schools value our input and what we have recorded in terms of children's progress

In a word, no, our schools don't value our input.

Most of our local schools have either a nursery or playgroup feeding into them. The children have their transition visits arranged by the pre-school provider. I have very few mindees who go straight from me to school. They have generally attended some sort of pre-school before going to school, even for just a couple of sessions a week. A lot of these children come to me for much longer than they ever go to a pre-school, but my input isn't used. A child can have been with me 3 days a week for 3 years, but school will only listen to the pre-school they have been to for 2 mornings a week for 2 terms :( I do transition sheets when the children are going into school. Sometimes they are looked at, but they're never taken seriously.

I have to say, our LA is very good at trying to get schools, HVs etc to listen to us, but they don't get far.

[JCrakers]

I've written a transition to school summary report and given it to the head. The head of foundation has said she will try to come and visit my mindee in my setting before the end of term but we will have to see.

Whether she will or not I don't know. My mindee receives her funding with me and I really hope they can find time to come and visit. Maybe then they won't see I'm doing this childminding for a laugh. :)

[Simona]

I've written a transition to school summary report and given it to the head. The head of foundation has said she will try to come and visit my mindee in my setting before the end of term but we will have to see.

Whether she will or not I don't know. My mindee receives her funding with me and I really hope they can find time to come and visit. Maybe then they won't see I'm doing this childminding for a laugh. :)

That is something we need to do as independent cms...advertise what we do, how we do it and how well we do it
Hope you get your visit...visits always open other professionls' eyes when they see evidence of good practice