starting points and learning journeys

Hi everyone, I'm just doing my starting points on a 7 month old baby who has been in my care for 3 weeks. How do I write this? is it best to jot notes next the early years outcomes document based on where you think they are developing? or does it need to be a written assessment? I know everyone does it differently but I've only just started minding so am confused as to how to begin. Any advice would be appreciated!

Secondly does this information need to be shared in the LJ or is it just for my own/oftsteds reference?

I take lots of photos in the early days and observations to help me know where lo is developmentally and what interests them. I highlight on early years out comes where I think lo is (things I've seen) then I sit down with parents and ask them to highlight any gaps they have seen at home and I haven't. This is what I call the starting points.

I look at the Early Years Outcomes, think about what the child is doing / not doing and make some decisions about what they might enjoy doing next...

It's important (according to ofsted) that 'teaching' starts as soon as possible so quick starting points are important :D

I see the starting points as just the first of the progress reviews I do termly, it is just that the first one is called 'starting points'.

So I do obs over the first few days/weeks, ask parents for input, look at DM & EYO, mark stage for each Aspect, write notes on 'what I can do now' and a few Next Steps per Area, sit with parents and share, they sign. I do that for all EYFS children every term. This way I do not have any different paperwork for the first time I do it (starting points) so it makes it easier for me as less versions of paperwork!

Thankyou everyone for your advice!

Would most of you say that you do new observations and next steps every term/quarter?

Observations are done daily / weekly as you see new things happening ... you can't schedule them really because you might go a couple of weeks with nothing and then 3 come at once like buses! :D

Ah yes I see. So I'd note down every time I noticed a wow moment or an observation and then do my next steps and planning from there? Even if that meant I was doing it twice a week one week and then not for another month after--depending on the frequency of the obs?

Would this all be appropriate in a learning journey or do I have to do my obs seperately?

I'm so sorry for all the stupid questions. Really appreciate all your responses!

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Originally Posted by Kaybeaa

Ah yes I see. So I'd note down every time I noticed a wow moment or an observation and then do my next steps and planning from there? Even if that meant I was doing it twice a week one week and then not for another month after--depending on the frequency of the obs?

Would this all be appropriate in a learning journey or do I have to do my obs seperately?

I'm so sorry for all the stupid questions. Really appreciate all your responses!

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'Wow moments' are obs, and obs are also: noticing new interests, first time they do something, noticing something they keep doing or are trying to do etc.

Some obs have an obvious and instant 'next step' so I write that down with the obs straight away and work on it immediately. Parents should tell you things too which you can make into obs, like 'child did xxx for first time at home' or 'child is loving xxx book at the moment' etc. Obs might happen every day for a week then nothing for a fortnight!- they tend to develop in spurts and that is fine.

(ie: Obs= 'child is starting to put things into the little basket we have and carrying it around' I'd label that as PD. Instant next step= 'provide more bags and boxes and small items around the room for child to discover'. or.. Obs='child is pulling up on furniture and standing for first time' I'd label as PD. Instant next step= 'provide push-along walker for child to use to work towards first steps'.)

Then child might make first steps next month and that is a new Obs!

Not all obs have an obvious next step so do not try to force one if it does not come naturally. An obs without a next step is fine.
And a next step might lead to a new obs, or it might not. Child might not have been interested in your great next step idea and do their own thing instead!

Then once a term I review all the obs and the next steps from that term. Check on DM/EYO to see where child is in terms of age-stage. Check child is in-line with expectations or not. I then get parents' input per Area on a form I give them, add their notes to my overview of obs and I write up a paragraph per Area saying 'child is doing xyz, support her by doing xxx, continue doing xxx and help her xxx'... or whatever.

Sit with parents, chat through it all, parents sign. Job done.

ALL of the above forms the Learning Journal (if you want to call it that, it is not statutory to even write this stuff down so you just need to find a way to suit you and adapt as you go to improve. Only statutory thing to write down is the 2-year check. Anything else is just 'good practice' but ofsted will look for it or at least expect you to be able to tell them all about your whole obs/learning/planning for each child, so better write it down unless you are super-confident and have a good memory! But it can be on-line, in a scrap book, in a folder, whatever you want and needs to be shared with child and parents regularly.)

This is just my way. There are as many ways as there are childminders!

Thanks so much moggy that's made things really clear. I get so confused about where I'm meant to be putting everything. I know once I've got a system in place it'll be a lot less confusing!

Sorry, me again! In terms of the starting points, do you write up a paragraph or so about where the child is developmentally in all of the 7 areas? (or just prime if they're under 3) So, for example in PSED they could be at 0 to 11months but in PD they could be at 8-29months? So you'd write that, and give examples why?
And what if some of the things in PSED the child does are 0-11 months but one or 2 things are 8-20months? How would you explain this?