Help please

[keatingschick]

I really struggled with the EYFS because I saw so many ways of doing planning and observations etc, and was just so confused and couldnt find a way that just flowed for me. I actually LOVE paperwork (comes from my days working in an office) but I just need it to flow and work for me and I am on a roll.
My development worker came and binned all the ideas that I had had from other people (things I had picked up from other childminders, ideas I had seen on here etc) and said "we need to find a method that works FOR YOU". So we SORT OF did.
Now I had my inspection Thursday and she was happy with my planning but said as just a little tip, she would like to see me doing like an initial assessment with the child sort of see where they are at, and then next steps. And also maybe somewhere for parents input, so like I pass the file home and if my next step reccomendation is something about counting, maybe the parents will say "oh he/she does that at home"...so they can input??
The day before my inspection my development worker "kindly" :angry: brought these assessment sheets, she had banged on and on about how easy they were, but obviously didnt have one with her to explain how to do them, and just pushed them through my door.
Its got like a table on with the development matters and then each of the little "sub-headings" (aspects??? 8a.m Saturday morning lol) and then a little space to write something. But not sure if I am supposd to look at the EYFS and find the quote which most relates to the childs development OR write a little piece in my own words????
So....I'd actually like a simple method of doing an assessment like this...I'd be more than happy to do the paperwork, just want a way that flows for me.
Thanks.
x

[Baildon bears]

Sounds to me like you are over complicating it. Yes you have to find a way that suits you and frustratingly there are no set ways of doing it, but that's because children are so different. I would just do simle planning based on the childrens interests, I have sheets with EYFS areas on that when I am writing an obb just highlight the area it covers, stick it in learning journal with photo and next steps. Every 3 months I get parents to write a comment in learning journal so that's your parents involvement. Learning journals should be working progress and ofsted won't expect them to be perfect hopefully, I would just relax and go with the flow. Also you can take advice from your co- ordinater but at the end of the day you do what you feel is right for your setting.

[sarah707]

Very good advice from Baildon Bears... nobody has the right to throw away what you are using or tell you that xx way is the only way to do things or xx piece of paper will work for you.

Ok...

Observation - John is putting blocks on top of each other (links to Eyfs Kuw - construction);

What do I think John might enjoy next? Well... he likes number jacks on TV so he might enjoy counting the blocks if I sit and play with him (links to Kuw - watching TV and Psr&n - numbers);

Did that work? Well... we played with the blocks and I found that John can count '1, 2, 3' accurately! We also put some cars in a line and he counted those.

Parents comments - now knowing many parents are busy people it is unlikely they will comment on every observation. The way I get round this is to ask them to comment once a term on an evaluation / report sheet.

Most of them manage to do that - though not all. If they can't write or write in English or are not confident with writing or prefer not to use a pen then I ask them for their verbal comments and write them in!

Hth :D

[keatingschick]

Yes I am probably overcomplicating it, I've been on so much training for the EYFS but no1 ever sort of suggested a good way of applying it.

The way I do it at the moment (worked out with my old DW)...is when I do an observation, I link what the child has done to the EYFS and put in a quote from the development matters, then in the next steps put in the info from planning and resourcing - this is what my DW told me to do and it worked for me. At the bottom is a little grid with the EYFS on and I highlight the area it refers to. Then from my observations-next steps I have a sheet with the 6 boxes of the areas of development and in each one I write an activity etc noting who it is for.

Now I'm quite happy with this and so was the Ofsted inspector, she just suggested that I could do with like an initial assessment when a child started and then "next steps"....then obviously another assessment so long after kind of thing noting progress....

So.....I go through the EYFS point by point and look where the child is at? yeah? as my initial assessment, and then plan from then?

The thing is - and this is something I explained to Ofsted, obviously I've always planned mentally bearing in mind what the children enjoy doing and preferences etc, and without thinking you automatically plan the next step...putting toys slightly out of reach to encourage babies etc. But I suppose its just documenting it.

[sarah707]

Your way sounds fine to me and what I think most of us do!

If you can't find a form that suits you... don't use one, just have a list of obs followed by next steps followed by obs linked to the Eyfs.

It really is about what suits you and how you show that you know the child :D