Andreamay Posted February 4, 2008 Posted February 4, 2008 the EYFS states we should 'be creating records that are clear and accessible to everybody who needs to see them' At present the childrens profile books are updated each term and a play plan is put together then the parents are invited in to share this then the term before they go to school we have an open evening where they will come and meet with the childs key worker etc but the profiles are kept in a lockible filing cabinet for confidential reasons. a parent is told continually they can ask to see the profile at any time.But is this enough ?and should we have them out all the time to allow parents and children to just pick them up and read them as they wish? What do others do please?
HappyMaz Posted February 4, 2008 Posted February 4, 2008 Our records are kept in a moveable admin cabinet which is locked away at the end of the session (we're in shared premises), and parents are welcome to see them at any time. We also have an observation tracker on which we write in the dates of our observations so that we can see at a glance where the gaps in our evidence are. These are updated as and when necessary and again are available as and when parents want to see them. Our planning system focuses on three children a week, and for/after their superstar week we do an individual plan for each child which get filed away with our observations. Each child also has a "special book" which is filled with photos, pictures, drawing and writing etc. At the end of their superstar week we do a couple of sheets showing what they did and what they learned. These are kept in the child's tray so is available at any time for a parent to pick up and look through. That's it in a nutshell! Maz
Andreamay Posted February 4, 2008 Author Posted February 4, 2008 (edited) thanks maz do the parents go to the cabinet and help themselves or ask for you to get it? And if they do access it themselves how do you assure they arnt reading other profiles? The filing cabinet idea would be no good for us as there is lots more records and info in there that does need to be confidential. Perhaps after we had planned for their child put it in place and evaluated and updated profile it could then be available within the session in a box on the side.? What does anyone else think or do? You say 3 children per week Maz how many have you all together as we wouldnt get through all our children each full term that way.12x3 = 36 per term we have 66 currently. Edited February 5, 2008 by Andreamay
Guest Posted February 5, 2008 Posted February 5, 2008 the EYFS states we should 'be creating records that are clear and accessible to everybody who needs to see them'At present the childrens profile books are updated each term and a play plan is put together then the parents are invited in to share this then the term before they go to school we have an open evening where they will come and meet with the childs key worker etc but the profiles are kept in a lockible filing cabinet for confidential reasons. a parent is told continually they can ask to see the profile at any time.But is this enough ?and should we have them out all the time to allow parents and children to just pick them up and read them as they wish? What do others do please? Hi Andrea we too have our children's files in a locked filing cabinet altho parents are welcome to 'ask' to see them whenever they wish, but we dont allow parents access to the files as you say they could have a mooch thru others! we have a parents eve 3 times a year- this really works well and we use daily obs which are attatched to their individual files (we check obs weekly to make sure all children and area's are being covered) and we also have 'special work books' that are shown on parents eve. I think its enough for parents to be aware that they can ask to see their child's profile wenever they wish.
Guest Posted February 5, 2008 Posted February 5, 2008 Hi We use sugar paper profiles held together with treasury tags. These are taken into the room for each session (shared room). In these profiles are observations and photos as well as a copy of the stepping stones which we highlight when the children have achieved them. This means that both parents and children can access them. Confidential info is kept locked in the filling cabinet as are observation which are being collected as evidence for IEP's or statments etc. Hope this helps
Helen Posted February 5, 2008 Posted February 5, 2008 Our children have special books too, into which we stick photos, observations, etc. They are all on a low shelf in our book area, and we encourage the children to share their books with their peers. They love to show them to visitors, and students, too. Parents ask if they want to take them home, and they know they can get it from the shelf. We are a really small setting and know that parents couldn't pick up someone else's without us spotting it immediately; the shelves are right by the entrance door which is manned at all times during drop offs and pick ups.
HappyMaz Posted February 5, 2008 Posted February 5, 2008 Andreamay - our parents have to ask to see their children's observations because each key worker's observations are held together in one file and so we couldn't guarantee other childrens' confidentiality. However they look in their children's books any time (and usually the children want to show them when new things have been added!). We only have 26 children on roll so this works perfectly for us at the moment - but I think for larger groups the key group planning time may be a better option. Once the children have had their superstar week the key worker will talk to the parent about what we planned, what the learning was and what skills might have been developed. These then go into the children's observation folders. I have to say that we are rarely asked to show parents their observations. We make them routinely available at our parent evenings and parents do spend time reading them and will ask questions about them. But generally they don't feel the need to look at them otherwise - perhaps because with only 26 children we are able to keep them informed verbally as we go. Does that all make sense? Maz
stedeford Posted February 8, 2008 Posted February 8, 2008 Our children have a record of achievements book in which photos, drawings, writing ect. are stuck. there are also sheets showing which shapes, numbers, letters they know and some grneral development sheets. They are kept on a shelf by the door where parents and children have free access to them. They are filled in once a week and sent home every couple of months. We have recently stuck a sheet in the front for parents to fill in asking questions such as: Have there been any changes at home that we should know about? What does he/she like doing at home? What has your child shown interest in/achieved recently? Do you have any comments on your child’s progress/learning at Nursery that you think need addressing? This is to help us plan for children's interests and has been a great help. We also have an A5 envelope stuck on the back page which is where we place observations and any spare photographs.
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