Starting points

[Kirsty90]

How does everyone record a child's starting points after observing them for a few sessions?

Thanks

Kirsty x

[loocyloo]

after a few weeks/sessions ( depending how often the child attends ) and taking lots of photos/obs. I put the photos in the childs LJ and any written obs with a brief overview ... ie Fred communicates well with the other children, he is happy to share and very curious. he can climb well, and enjoys kicking a ball in the garden.

I then use development matters and highlight all areas covered within the age group and beyond, until I feel that I have the child 'pinned down' on paper. I then look at a few next steps from there.

Development Matters Guidance (http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/freeresources/Free%20downloads/developmentmattersguidance.html)

the development matters sheets I use are similar to these. I find them easier to use ( and they use less paper! ) than the development matters guidance. depending how old the child is, I don't always print off the first couple of sections.( unless I have concerns and that is the band the child is in ) http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/freeresources/Free%20downloads/Resources/L%20%26%20D%20overview%20develoment%20matters%20-%20forum.pdf

[KAZBAZ55]

I needed this advice too...th:laughing:

[jadavi]

I tend to make it a bit easier and don't refer explicitly to dev matters at all.

I stick a pic of the child on the inside cover of the LJ and stick on the book cover a picture or art creation the child did - stick it with sticky back plastic.
The very first page has the heading All About Me:
I then write in the first person My name is... I live in ..... I have ... brothers and sisters. I like to...
And then I write from the viewpoint of the child a few paragraphs about likes dislikes, what the child can do and his eating habits and what they can say and how they are moving. I pretty much cover all the areas without spelling out the fact.
I circle it with wavy black market to make it look like a speech bubble.
Ofsted and my DO both made a point of saying they really liked it and I got outstanding twice.
There's no need to cite the academic jargon all the time (unless you really want to) I find it makes parents anxious about where they are at on the chart etc and I think the LJ should be a lovely personal homely document for the family not a school report type thing.
In my own files I have a tracker which shows where they are at but no one ever wants to see it!

[Rubybaby]

I don't specifically refer to Development Matters either...I begin the child's LJ by including their completed 'All About Me' booklet, and after a few sessions (and after observing them at play) I have a sheet which I call 'Getting to know you..first impressions (and some thoughts as we settle in)', which is just that...not too formal, on which I write my impressions so far! I cover the developmental areas in an informal way (which tells me their starting points), and invite parents to respond at the bottom of the page, encouraging parental feedback. Hope this helps! xx

[Kirsty90]

I don't specifically refer to Development Matters either...I begin the child's LJ by including their completed 'All About Me' booklet, and after a few sessions (and after observing them at play) I have a sheet which I call 'Getting to know you..first impressions (and some thoughts as we settle in)', which is just that...not too formal, on which I write my impressions so far! I cover the developmental areas in an informal way (which tells me their starting points), and invite parents to respond at the bottom of the page, encouraging parental feedback. Hope this helps! xx

I like the idea of this! What type of things do you include? I've only been back to work 3 weeks & have been making notes but I'm just struggling to find a good way to document it.

Thanks

Kirsty xx

[Rubybaby]

I like the idea of this! What type of things do you include? I've only been back to work 3 weeks & have been making notes but I'm just struggling to find a good way to document it.

Thanks

Kirsty xx

I include things I've noticed whilst the child has been with me, and link these very loosely to the EYFS areas, eg if child notices/comments on insects/flowers while outside, I might say something like..'X notices small details in his/her environment, and is curious about his/her surroundings' When I had a baby in my care, I'd include details like 'X enjoys watching the movement of the trees in the wind, and responds by smiling'
That way, I've said something about Understanding the World without using any specific jargon, but it's personal to the child (and helps me know where the child is at, developmentally)
I do this type of thing with all the other areas , and make it personal and informal, reflecting on the child's individuality, and finish with 'Parent's comments' near the bottom of the page.
My last family were enthusiastic in their support, but even if parents don't respond, at least you've invited their comments (and demonstrated working in partnership!)
I must add that I've no idea if this is the best/right way to do this (not inspected yet!), but it works for me , and I've found it useful in that you can refer back to it later on to show progress (eg when baby points at tree and says 'tree!')
Hope this helps, Kirsty xx

[Simona]

Starting points should also take account of anything the parents tell us a child does at home...I usually record these in the child's file during settling- in
They should also reflect 'what a child can do' so we are able to plan the next steps to extend their learning.

When we hand the summative assessment of a child's learning to a reception teacher that becomes their starting point...so if we say in the assessment a child can count to 10 by himself all the teacher has to do is assess that is correct and move on