Update On "progress From The Start"

[Helen]

The "Progress from the Start" document is currently not going ahead and the National Strategies team have no plans to publish detailed guidance on observational assessment in the early years.

A member of the The National Strategies team said,

 

"We have been working with LAs and providers to help to develop their practice and explore new approaches to understanding children's development and plan a day to day approach that responds to this".

 

There is of course plenty of information about observation and assessment within the EYFS documents and CD-rom. Practitioners will need to find a workable way of managing the information they collect about their children, and ensuring that all children are making progress. This may well be achieved by summarising where the children are according to the stages of development, and keeping notes demonstrating how children are making progress over time.

 

Many LAs are developing guidance for their practitioners and training will be available early in the autumn term.

 

Of course, we're always really good at sharing our practice here on the forum!

[Guest Wolfie]

That's disappointing - I was looking forward to seeing some extra national guidance being published.

[Guest]

~I was rather hoping that there would be something to replace the Foundation Stage Profile that covered all of the EYFS documentation so that all children could have thier progress recorded in the same basic fashion - still would need to provide evidence but at least when children arrive from several different settings there would be only one format to get my head around

[catma]

Welcome glynnis - I'm afraid the EYFSP is rather a different thing as it is part of the NAA remit rather than EYFS.

CX

[Guest]

I'm personally happy that guidance has not been written, and experienced professionals do not have their confidence bashed by being informed on how observations and assessment should / could be done.

Observation skills and what to do with such information is something that is or should be taught from initial childcare training and developed throughout further training and practice. To me it is a basic fundamental requirement of each member of staff within their job description.

 

I also feel that methods used and how it is managed is individual to each setting and each child.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

oops, I meant to say a very warm welcome to the forum, glynnis.

 

Peggy

[HappyMaz]

Welcoe to the Forum, Glynis!

 

Maz

[hali]

hello and welcome

[Guest Wolfie]

A warm welcome from me too!

[catma]

I'm personally happy that guidance has not been written, and experienced professionals do not have their confidence bashed by being informed on how observations and assessment should / could be done.

Observation skills and what to do with such information is something that is or should be taught from initial childcare training and developed throughout further training and practice. To me it is a basic fundamental requirement of each member of staff within their job description.

 

I also feel that methods used and how it is managed is individual to each setting and each child.

 

Peggy

 

Oh hear hear!!! I get really frustrated when I work with practitioners who just want it all handed over on a plate or consider it an extra nuisance, or even worse consider chasing children around for hours with a notepad but no communication = observation!!!!

 

Lets face it - assessment in the early years is hard work and requires real commitment to watching and learning from the children - the key is making it work for your setting.

 

Cx

[dublinbay]

Hello Glynnis and a warm welcome from me too!

[Guest]

Oh hear hear!!! I get really frustrated when I work with practitioners who just want it all handed over on a plate or consider it an extra nuisance, or even worse consider chasing children around for hours with a notepad but no communication = observation!!!!

 

Lets face it - assessment in the early years is hard work and requires real commitment to watching and learning from the children - the key is making it work for your setting.

 

Cx

 

 

I also think more emphasis should be made on management giving staff the time to 'evaluate' their observations. What point is loads and loads of post it notes if the staff don't have time to actually assess what they mean in terms of the childs thinking, development of other skills?

 

The only way observation skills can improve is lots of practice and enabling the staff time to link what is observed with their knowledge of child development. Observing how children access their learning holistically, enables the staff to also understand the merits of continuous provision sty;e methods of teaching.

 

Peggy

[catma]

Absolutely!

[HappyMaz]

Lets face it - assessment in the early years is hard work and requires real commitment to watching and learning from the children - the key is making it work for your setting.

Assessment and almost everything else in early years, Catma! Whether we're talking about planning, observation or assessment I think the first requirement of any system we design is that it should work for us in our setting. There are so many variables that affect whether a system works: not least the knowledge and level of expertise of the staff team.

 

I can understand why people look for advice about the 'right' way to do things - a lot of the anxiety about it comes from the worry that Mrs O will come in, judge our methods and find them wanting.

 

It is important that we accept all this guidance with an open mind - guidance that we are free to accept, decline or adapt as we see fit - then I think we can all maintain our independence and autonomy to decide what is right for our children and staff.

 

Maz

[hali]

well said M