When Do You Stop Observing?

[Guest]

I have only been an early years practitioner for just over a year so I am not familiar with end of year procedures.

 

Our Curriculum Manager has asked us to stop oberving children and to hand in our Learning Journeys, which she will bind and give to the children at the end of term in July.

 

This is still two months away (nearly the whole of the summer term) and the children will change a huge amount in this time. We are still doing a settling in period for the children who joined at Easter so there will be very little for them. We are one member of staff short and her key children have not been observed since the end of March when she left.

 

Is this the usual practice in other settings?

[Guest]

one of my key children has just moved on to primary school , i continue with observations till that very last day he was with us, as i will do with all my other key children .

Edited May 7, 2009 by bubblybee3107

[Inge]

we used to continue until we had completed transfer to school documents which schools wanted usually first week in July, part of this is also because we had a lot of children who would be away end of term some going abroad to stay with relatives for the summer.

 

Our transfer documents are form / via LEA so same form all settings to schools and they have always told us that while doing the transfer docs that would be adequate for last term, I have always felt children change so much in the 6 weeks of summer that the documents are often out of date when they start school anyway.

 

we still did quick obs for planning around the children , just not always transferred into books unless it was a big WOW moment

 

Inge

[Beau]

We continued ours till transition reports had been produced and then concentrated on the children who were staying on with us after the holidays. It is not about producing the journal, but the usefulness of the observations for informing practice. You still need to be planning activities for the rest of the term!

[Cait]

We continue observing up till the last possible minute - usually the week before. Anything spotted after that can go into diaries or or straight into the child's file

[dorinda]

We continue observing up till the last possible minute - usually the week before. Anything spotted after that can go into diaries or or straight into the child's file

[dorinda]

We continue up to the last minute as well. I have just become lead practitioner how do you all do evaluation sheets. I have been told I need to do one everyday. Also planning for a focus sheets, covering the areas of learning.

Dorinda

[Cait]

As the lead practitioner in our setting my 'evaluation' is written into my daily log of the day - what went well etc. we also evaluate planned activities on the planning when it's been carried out and any child-led or spontaneous activities are written retrospectively and evaluated. Would that be sufficient for whoever has told you this?

 

Welcome to the forum - I look forward to 'chatting' with you again soon

[Guest]

Oh dear...sounds like the curriculum manager needs to really understand the foundation stage......as you have probably got some children who will need to continue with their Foundation Stage profile in September........

 

There will be a county date for your e.profile assessments to be uploaded and sent to them....apart from this.....observations should really continue.....we have ?????? 9 weeks left of this year and then they leave the Foundation Stage.

 

(However...if you do have children where you are more than convinced and know where the child is at.....the kind of child / he / she is then obs for profiles won't really be necessary as you will already have your own professional judgement of where the child is at....!) It's those children who are still needing that extra support / direction / teacher directed tasks that obs will be necessary.

 

Are you able to chat openly with the curriculum manager about your concerns?

 

Good luck....and enjoy the last term of school.

[Guest]

Thank you for your replies, it gave me the confidence to voice my concerns as Newbe!

 

She has agreed to let us continue until the 15th June, which is five more weeks and a lot more reasonable!

 

It is so useful to have so many "knowledgable others" to ask advice from!

 

Many thanks for taking the time to answer my post