How do you intend to approach parents about their child's 2 year progress check?
Quite a few childminders have contacted me already to tell me that they are having problems - parents do not want them to write the check (don't test my child at age 2) and Health Visitors haven't a clue!
Here are my thoughts...
First - we have to write a 2 year progress check regardless of parents wishes - it will be a statutory requirement.
Second - the guidance document for the check, from the EYFS page of the www.foundationyears.co.uk website, says that the check should be written before the child's 2 year HV check, with input from parents AND given to parents to hand over.
Let's look at it logically for a moment here... we are constantly writing observations, assessments and individual / next steps planning for all the children in our care...
The majority of us are also writing regular summary assessments to share with parents and asking parents about what their children are doing and saying at home.
That is really all the 2 year progress check is... a summary assessment of a child's learning and development including input from parents
It might be on posher paper or you might have a form to complete from your LA - but it's still only a summary assessment.
So... we write it... we ask parents for input... we put one copy in the child's file (for Ofsted to see) and hand the other over to parents with the request that they share it with the HV.
Our job is done. We don't have to worry any more. If parents choose not to hand it over there is nothing we can do - the guidance is clear that we cannot approach the HV without parents permission.
If there is a problem with the child's learning and development we are going to be flagging it up anyway regardless of whether we are writing a 2 year check or not...
Does that sound ok to you guys?
Bookmarks