Next steps - how long in each cycle? having minor panic!

[Poohshouse]

We are long long overdue for Ofsted, and as such I keep a close eye on the reports in my area. The following came up on a monitoring visit report and its worried me!

'The progress report identifies the next steps in children's learning and these

are then incorporated into the planning. However, with six weekly intervals between

progress reports, the identifying of children's next steps is not effective in promoting

sufficient challenge and therefore, staff are not promoting children's progress and

achievements against all areas of learning. '

We plan in a similar fashion to this, we set next steps for each child every 4 weeks, and this is fed into planning, observed, and reviewed. The above seems to suggest this would not be good enough?! Help.........what does everyone else do?

For what it's worth our Early Years Consultant from the council is happy enough with it. We have a huge number of part time children so its already an onerous task.

[Foreveryoung]

Thats pritty much same as how we do it! but i presume and dont forget you also do daily/weekly observations as well as listening to parents and using key workers professional knowledge which highlight a continuous feed into a child's next steps to add to these targets and input these either next day or the following week. Your initial targets are a baseline to work from and daily/weekly obs support this to add extras so to ensure children are challenged continuously, its just ensuring you can show this! we use our planning as a working document so write all over it with next steps/interests that occur that day we then change areas/get out different resources or suggest having an activity out the following week etc. I did for our inspection a flow chart diagram to reflect how the planning process works and feeds into all the relevant areas it gave me a reminder to sell ourselves in this area without missing anything out! and the inspector a good idea of how we plan etc. Our ofsted inspector was very happy with our system.

Good Luck with the impending inspection

[Poohshouse]

Thanks for the reply Rochelle. that is very very useful.

 

A flow chart is a brilliant idea, it will also help staff articulate it to the inspector! Off to do it today.

 

We are 5 yrs since last inspection, irony is we are in process of re registering as gone to Ltd company so will most likely end up with 2 inspections in one year!

[blondie]

we plan pretty much the same - with next steps being done half termly but remember that if a child attains one of these then the staff member would move the child on there and then and wouldn't wait till the end of the half term.

i also think that children need to consolidate on their learning and not be moved on too quickly.

we are well overdue an inspection too - 5 years since last one - but as they say all settings will visited be by 2016 i just wait lolx

[Foreveryoung]

Planning and Observational Cycle.docx

Oh yes re-registering will prob prompt the inspection, so looks like sooner rather than later. I have attached a copy of the flow chart this reflects our setting on a personal level but hopefully it will give you an idea of how everything feeds into each other! we struggled for ages in getting a full cycle to work as it seamed to get so far then get stuck, but now it flows and creates a continuous cycle.

 

[Poohshouse]

Thank Rochelle :-)

[sunnyday]

That's really interesting Rochelle - thank you for sharing! :1b

[Guest degplay]

Rochelle can I ask you what kind of things do you do for your adult focus? when we had our ofsted last year we were told we needed to do more, adult focus activities, I suspect we just need to record them clearer!

[lashes2508]

I can't seem to open document you posted Rochelle ? We were picked up on how we were showing next steps for children and it's an area of struggle, do you assess your next steps according to dev matters or make up your own ?

[Foreveryoung]

(I have a tendency to waffle so bear with me lol)

degplay - our children in 3-5 area are grouped into 3 groups 'focused support' those who require 1:1 or 1:2 or specific work these children have sen, then we have 'Bananas' which is children who will not be going to school the coming September and 'Carrots' children who are leaving for school in the coming September, we then look further into our children on an individual level by assessing their current level of learning to see if we need to move them into different groups - this ensures we group firstly based on age then we group based on individual needs.

Key workers set targets each term reviewing them half termly, these targets are then used to plan activities etc as needed but we also use their next step targets to create weekly targets for all the children for instance if we want to look at shapes from this we pick a statement from 30-50 (Carrots) that covers shapes we also pick a statement from 22-36 (Bananas) every child is then targeted in an adult led activity, we have a table so we can check each child has been targeted each week, there is a space to write a short obs so then this gets cut up and put into their file as evidence. We also hold end group on each session where children are again grouped as above in this group staff revisit the target so again shapes (then singing etc as you would do in groups) we may visit targets over and over again its just as we feel is necessary it also helps us highlight if a child is really good or struggling with something so we may plan further to help develop that child.

These adult focus are completed at the start of each session so before the staff member starts snack they call over a few children to carry out the task each session, and we have another staff member who does the same before they become a floater.

Target Group Sheets.docx

We feel that one group time per session and one adult directed activity per week for a child is plenty, we believe in our childrens right to play and choose their learning along with free flo so we do not want to overpower this.

sample of our sheet, it sits on wall at end of each week slips are cut up and put in child's file (just so we don't rewrite things for sake of it) we used to do adult focus and not write it up every time so it looked as if we hadn't done it, this way the obs space acts as a tick list to say that child has had a go at it.

[Foreveryoung]

lashes2508 Yes we plan next steps each term only 3 or 4 targets they are reviewed at the half term point, these are taken from the statements and we also add in other things that we feel relevant as a target for that particular child that has no statement attached to it or it may be a request from home (that's achievable, as some requests from home you still have to accept as a parent request as a next step for their child but you may break it down into very small steps as its too complex for the child at that time) each half term the sheet is sent home with the child;s next steps on (or review of them if half term) and there is a space at the bottom for ideas for learning at home where key workers will give examples of things they can do at home to support their child in working on their next steps.

TARGET BOARD One next step goes on our target board for each child when staff observe something against the target on the board the child gets to put a sticker against their target as a rule of thumb 3 stickers = achieved, the children get really giddy about putting stickers against their targets and will drag (literally) their collector over at the end of the session to show them, this really acts as an important part of children being involved and taking ownership of their own learning. As they achieve their target on the board a new one goes up.

Also on this board is pictures of the development of the pencil grip (palmer, pincer etc) each childs name is put against their current grip, this shows parents where their children are at and where they need to go, many parents have commented on this as they thought well they can hold their pen and draw good pictures all is well! but infact they maybe doing this in palmer grasp - it starts a conversation off about having a good pencil grip and how to progress onto the tripod grip. (this is an ongoing next step for most children)

PLANNING key workers when setting their children's next steps each term/half term (as above) have to complete a key worker overview where they list activities/equipment/group work/any ideas to help support their children to achieve their next steps - where possible they will group the children for instance Johnny and Jo have same next step and would benefit from same activity therefore reducing repetition, these activities are then put onto the medium term planning which is in effect a list of all the activities that have come through from the key workers and hopefully grouped even more and any themes or special events that we are covering. These next step activities are then allocated into the short term plan which runs for a week, these are highlighted on the planning example: Jonny, Jo, James - Maths, SSM, 22 - Ladeling and experimenting with shapes (made that up) staff MUST get observations on these children at least then these observations go back into the child's file and the cycle is complete :blink: well at least it starts again lol. This ensures each child will have their next steps highlighted on the planning over a term and observations will be done on them.

Also children are set next steps as needed by staff scribbling (literally) on the planning but lets not go mad and create too much as children cannot cope with that and neither can we

 

(I will try to upload again possibly in a different format to see if you can open it) x

[Foreveryoung]

Planning and Observational Cycle PDF.pdf

Try this its in PDF

[Guest degplay]

thanks Rocelle

very similar to what we are doing, thanks for reassurance

[sallye86]

Poohshouse,

 

Can you tell me the nursery of this Ofsted inspection please?

 

Thanks

[Poohshouse]

Hi Sally,

 

Why do you ask? Just curious. Not sure if i should/would name as it feels like I am adding to their misery. Let me brew on it!

[sunnyday]

Hi Sally,

 

Why do you ask? Just curious. Not sure if i should/would name as it feels like I am adding to their misery. Let me brew on it!

Well aware that no one asked for my opinion but please don't do that - feels very unfair and unnecessary........

[Mouseketeer]

I feel really guilty when I see how much effort some of you put into your planning etc......I think my staff would run mile, wouldn't it be interesting to know the difference at the end of their school lives and to actually see whether all this is making any difference to their final exam results, and the more paperwork v more quality time 'just' playing with the children ...and on that note I guess I should go and do some moreeeeeeeee paperwork

[MegaMum]

I don't feel guilty at all Mouseketeer. I keep the paperwork to a minimum and it is still a lot.

[Guest Nuby]

Mouseketeer I am with you this one...I want more playing and if I can reduce the paperwork to a bare minimum I will, I am currently working on a system that enables practitioners to be co-constructors of knowledge with the children and that takes time being on the floor and not buried in a post it note ............video recording is the way forward I think... a cd at the end of the term with clips and snap shots of significant moments in the child's life......can it be done?? worth a shot, me thinks..... :ph34r:

[Mouseketeer]

I put all this years leavers photos on a disc for each of them ... looking back over the 2'ish years and seeing how they've grown, the experiences they've had, the things they've achieved, the skills they'll take forward with them and the friends they've made was lovely....its just a pity that for each of those pictures someone has had to write a b****y essay to go with it when the picture says it all

[Guest Nuby]

That's such a lovely idea! x

[Harmony1985]

Our next steps work on a constant cycle. As soon as the observation goes in their folder, we write the next step for it. Then we plan an activity for our key group time (adult led) for that child's next step. We observe them and make note if they achieve it. The observation goes in their folder, we tick off the next step and write a new one.

 

There's no time scale; we do it as it happens.

[lashes2508]

Thanks Rochelle x