Do we have to do weekly/short term planning?

**OrlandoBelle** · 18-05-2009, 02:03 PM

I am really struggling with the amount of paperwork that I have at the moment. There is so much and I am so behind. I am also expecting my first inspection any day now.
I am sitting here thinking if there is anyway I can cut down the amount of paperwork I HAVE to do.

At the moment I have a chart of holidays and celebrations that I plan to work activities around througout the year as well as a month-by-month one... but the thing that takes up the most time is the weekly planning. Is this really neccessary? Will the yearly and monthly planning sheets be enough?

I only have 2 mindees at the moment aged 7 months and 17 months. They just love playing at the moment and half of the activities I plan never get carried through so it seems such a waste of my time. I do lots of messy/sensory activities with them, but working around feeding, school collections, nap times, etc, they're aren't enough hours in the day to do everthing I plan.. Is monthly planning enough?

Can I get away with not doing the weeky planning?

**Daftbat** · 18-05-2009, 02:33 PM

I do all my planning at the beginning of the month including a rough guide to what i am planning each week. I mean a rough guide though, just a basic outline.

I o nly do more in depth weekly planning during school holidays.

**rickysmiths** · 18-05-2009, 03:21 PM

Well I went on a Planning and Observation Course on Saturday.

She did nothing about planning because we DON'T HAVE TO DO PLANNING!!!!!!!

All we do has to be child lead!!!!!!!

I wonder what Sarah will have to say about this one!!!

What I want to know is if I don't have to do any planning how will I know what to buy, especially for craft activities.

Personally, I have a chart similar to you with all the main annual events.
Then I break it down into monthly chunks, I plan activties using that, my craft magazines and books etc.

I then have a rough idea of what I may want to do each week. Of course this may change because of the weather, what the children want to do, if I buy something new or go to the Toy Lib etc etc.

I would find it difficult to work with nothing. You don't need to do anything complicated though.

**sarah707** · 18-05-2009, 05:17 PM

Child led planning is all well and good... but you still have to -

1. Write down what the children do so you can do your obs etc ready for the next session;

2. Plan what to buy;

3. Plan what to have available so they can plan their own play, following interests and changing learning styles;

4. Cover multicultural / global stuff;

5. Make sure there is some structure to the children's days...

The Eyfs makes it very clear that there should be a balance of adult led and child initiated activities... and that the child led activities should be things the children enjoy / things they want to do / things that enhance their learning and development.

I have weekly planning for the group which helps me manage children aged from 2 - 9 years...

I then have weekly planning for the individuals in the Eyfs.

It does not take me long, as I do it as we go. Some of it is filled in in advance and some when the children have decided what they want to do.

Find a way of working that makes it happen for you and tweak it as you go along. If the paperwork you are using isn't working, change it!!

hth

**sweets** · 18-05-2009, 05:27 PM

Just before my inspection i did some long, mid and short term planning sheets. I havn't stuck to any of them! i told the inspector that even though the sheets are there i tend to plan our days depending on the weather and what the children like to do, and what we feel like. She laughed and said that was absolutely fine as british weather is so unpredictable. She didn't really make it clear wether we had to have written plans or not but i have decided i'm not doing them again.

i also saw my early years worker last week and showed her my obs, she said they were far too many ( i was doing 1 a week on each child and 1 a month will do) and too detailed ( just a photo and a couple of sentences is needed), so i have cut right back on these too, i actually hardly do any day to day paperwork now.

**The Juggler** · 18-05-2009, 07:03 PM

I think if you're cutting down, lose the themes and dates/festivals etc and concentrate more on the child led planning - their next steps. That's what Ofsted are interested in that you are planning for the Unique child and making your planning inclusive to them.

They obviously would like mid and long term planning with the festivals etc but the important thing is you are planning the child's next steps based on what they can do now. How you do that is up to you as long as your introducing new experiences and including diversity and inclusiveness.

Hope that helps.

LOL

**Trouble** · 18-05-2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by rickysmiths

Well I went on a Planning and Observation Course on Saturday.

She did nothing about planning because we DON'T HAVE TO DO PLANNING!!!!!!!

All we do has to be child lead!!!!!!!

I wonder what Sarah will have to say about this one!!!

What I want to know is if I don't have to do any planning how will I know what to buy, especially for craft activities.

Personally, I have a chart similar to you with all the main annual events.
Then I break it down into monthly chunks, I plan activties using that, my craft magazines and books etc.

I then have a rough idea of what I may want to do each week. Of course this may change because of the weather, what the children want to do, if I buy something new or go to the Toy Lib etc etc.

I would find it difficult to work with nothing. You don't need to do anything complicated though.

i bet it was a waste of a saturday for you then

especially as WE DONT NEED PLANNING!!!!!!! yer right

theres NO NEED TO BE SARCASTIC TO OTHER PEOPLE especially when it was nothing to do with them in the first place

sarah must be doing something right as she is outstanding and you havent

**manjay** · 18-05-2009, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by rickysmiths

Well I went on a Planning and Observation Course on Saturday.

She did nothing about planning because we DON'T HAVE TO DO PLANNING!!!!!!!

I think they may have to change the name of the course

**Trouble** · 18-05-2009, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by manjay

I think they may have to change the name of the course

we dont not do planning and observations course 2009

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 18-05-2009, 08:07 PM

I know that written plans are not compulsory but you do need to have some sort of system so that your activities are visible.

I have a 2 year rotating play of 1 idea for each month from which I plan two activities a week into each month based on the theme. I then work around my activites and the child led get "planned/scheduled" in for the next week.

I don't do a lot of paperwork and mine now takes 1 hour to plan/schedule the following months ideas and 10 minutes per child per month writing up obs.

Keep it simple.