New Pre-school Supervisor - Please Help!

[Guest]

Hey all,

 

Firstly let me apologise if this is a long post! I am a returning pre-school supervisor, I ran a unit 2 years ago and then went into nannying for a while and now I'm back to running a pre-school. When I left, we used the 'old' early years foundation, the 6 areas of learning were used but things were definately different then than they are now!!

 

The nursery I have joined currently has no pre-school, so I am in setting that up at the minute and planning is currently my biggest issue. The planning sheets the nursery use, I feel, are not appropriate. I would like the planning sheets to show daily activites, currently the nursery does not have daily planning, their sheet covers 3/4 weeks and as I said, I dont think that this is appropriate. I would be extremely grateful if anyone had any examples of planning sheets they could attach for me to get some ideas to draw from before I make up a sample sheet to show to the nursery manager.

 

Also the rountine the toddler unit use is along the lines of what the manager would like to see in pre-school, again I think its to extensive. Below is a brief example:

9.45 - 10.15 - Art activites

10.15 - 10.45 small world play

10.45 - 11.15 - construction play

 

Basically the room is split into 2halves, so they have art set up in one side, when they have done with that they move to the small world side whilst staff set up the art side again for a different activity. The nursery I was in previously encouraged 'free flow'- in that all activites planned for that day were set out and the children were free to flow from activity to activity - certain activites had an adult at the table and were adult lead and the children were tracked to a certain degree to ensure that they were meeting all the areas of learning. What are your experiances as to which of these to practices work best - the tight routine mentioned above or the 'free flow' option?

 

Sorry for the long post!! I look forward to getting to know you all via this board, you all seem a friendly bunch! I'm glad I stumbled across it and I'm sure you will save me tearing my hair out in the next few weeks!!

 

Sparky! x x

Edited March 9, 2010 by Guest

[Rea]

What are your experiances as to which of these to practices work best - the tight routine mentioned above or the 'free play' option?

 

Sorry for the long post!! I look forward to getting to know you all via this board, you all seem a friendly bunch! I'm glad I stumbled across it and I'm sure you will save me tearing my hair out in the next few weeks!!

 

Sparky! x x

 

 

Hi sparky, welcome to the forum. I dont need to plan anymore but definitley prefer to see children choosing their own play. There is a place for adult led and focused activities but really, the children should be free to choose, explore, investigate and play.

What have they been doing the last 2 years? Do they not have an EY advisor? Are they with you on this or do you expect heel digging?

Blimey, good luck if they are happy with the way things are!

[Guest]

Hi sparky40, welcome to the forum!

 

Have you tried a Forum search for planning? There are always lots of generous people who share on here and it may be that someone has already posted what you're looking for.

 

Nona

[HappyMaz]

There are lots of discussions about planning on here - if you search 'planning' you may get several days' worth of reading!

 

Welcome to the forum, sparky40, and congratulations on making your first post.

 

Maz

[hali]

hello and welcome to the forum

[Panders]

Cant add anything to the above sparky - except welcome to the forum - quite an indispensable tool for you over the next few weeks I should think as you get back into the swing of things.

[Rea]

Would this be any good to you? I've been spending every spare minute clearing out my documents files and just came across this.

[Guest]

Wow, thanks for the fast replies, and the warm welcome, thought I might be the only one about this time if night!

 

I just found a few blank planners in another section of the forum, now I just have to sit down and try and figure it all out! I know that the basics are practically the same, but its getting everything else to slot into place thats the trouble!

 

Sparky x

[Rea]

Nope, downloads just never work for me. Glad you've got something to be going on with sparky

[Guest]

lol Rea I was just going to say that I cant see what you were refering to! And also I didnt notice ur first reply!

 

No there is no EY advisor, there has been no preschool in the nursery, I am setting it up from scratch, it was a new nursery initally opened to cater for 0-3 yrs but recently decided to expand to pre-school. The rest of the nursery do as I said and work off the planning sheet that covers 3/4, but for the things I have planned, and in order to meet all the early learning goals I just dont think this meets the standard. They are quite happy for me to do things my way as long as it adhere's to company policy etc, however this is what they are saying now, here's hoping they stick to it!!!

[hali]

your local LA should have EY advisors that can help you

[HappyMaz]

Wow, thanks for the fast replies, and the warm welcome, thought I might be the only one about this time if night!

You'll soon get used to seeing us night owls here at all hours of the day and night sparky40!

 

Rea do you need a tutorial? What were you trying to upload. I'm curious now...

 

Maz

[Guest]

Glad to hear it Maz, cause I could be here a while!! Have about 8 tabs open all in relation to planning, think the best thing to do it close the whole lot down and look at it tomorrow, I have aspects coming out my ears!!!

[Guest]

Hi I wanted to welcome you.....there are so many planning examples on here and many books now with examples alongside the EYFS cd, I think we all take a bit from here and there, tweak it to suit our settings and then constantly look for ways to evolve the system....welcome to the gang!

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the forum, watch out it's addictive (me and Rea are actually committee but we're on here all the time )

 

Anyway, I feel that we have got our planning sheets just about perfect. Sorry if that sounds boastful but we have been tweaking them for a year in consultation with our EYT and we have them working really well.

 

We use a weekly 'mini theme' just to inspire us (this is chosen on a Friday in response to the children's interests that week), we then write on these sheets as we go along and make changes in response to what the children seem to be enjoying.

 

Here is last week's one, see what you think:

 

No_Names_Hide_and_Seek_continuous_provision.doc

[Rea]

(me and Rea are actually committee but we're on here all the time )

 

 

Obviously did something really bad in a previoous life and this is payback!

 

Maz, I dont know why things wont upload, I usually get a message saying I dont have permission to upload that type of file, but this time it didnt even speak to me. I used to be able to do it without a problem but somethings changed.

[stephaniem22]

Hi and welcome to the forum, watch out it's addictive (me and Rea are actually committee but we're on here all the time )

 

Anyway, I feel that we have got our planning sheets just about perfect. Sorry if that sounds boastful but we have been tweaking them for a year in consultation with our EYT and we have them working really well.

 

We use a weekly 'mini theme' just to inspire us (this is chosen on a Friday in response to the children's interests that week), we then write on these sheets as we go along and make changes in response to what the children seem to be enjoying.

 

Here is last week's one, see what you think:

 

No_Names_Hide_and_Seek_continuous_provision.doc

 

Hi,

 

Love your mini theme idea. Just curious, do you do any other planning apart from this, medium etc..... or do you list somewhere the aspects and matters you have covered or hope to cover. Am starting out afresh in a nursery where everything is very stale at the minute. Any tips or advice?

 

Steph

[Guest]

Also go and visit other good settings in you area, see how they do it and planning is individual to the setting and what works for one doesnt always for another.

 

very rigid time table not much scope for child intiated!!

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Love your mini theme idea. Just curious, do you do any other planning apart from this, medium etc..... or do you list somewhere the aspects and matters you have covered or hope to cover. Am starting out afresh in a nursery where everything is very stale at the minute. Any tips or advice?

 

Steph

 

Hi, we do medium term planning around festivals, long term seems to have gone out of the window, on the basis that how can you plan long term for children's current interests.

 

The staff also do 'next steps' for individual children based on observations and profiles. Plus I've suggested that we look back at the end of each half term to see which areas we have covered well, and which we need to work on. (Not sure this has happened yet but it is in my mind to do it).

 

Oh and my latest idea is to have an inventory sheet up in the cupboard (we're pack away setting) and then we tick which boxes we get out each day, just to ensure we use resources equally, cover all areas and also that if something is not being used we can store it elsewhere.

 

Nearly quit yesterday Rea, it's a long story!

[Guest]

We do long term plan for the setting and short term plans, dont do medium.

we plan weekly following children's interests

I have a daily continous provision plan

children choose what they want out and i change the bulk of the resources on a weekly basis depending on what they have chosen. we to are pack away.

 

I keep paper work to a minimum, storage being an issue and because i do not believe in writing for writing sake

[Guest]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks for all the replies, sorry its taken me a while to reply myself, I've been soooooo busy! Still havent decided what to do re planning, I'm tearing my hair out trying to find something that I like, think the other staff can follow/complete and allows me to incorporate everything I have to and plan the correct activites to meet the needs of all the children!

 

I've looked at about 10 different planning sheets and noticed that some sheets have certain things on them and some dont, what are the essential things that need to be included. Previously on my planning it was broken down into days and the 6 areas of learning, - then under physical for example there was the sub heading of fine motor n gross motor, I then put on my planning which stepping stones I hoped the children would achieve through the activity planned, and that was about it!

 

However all the sheets I have been looking at have incorporated things like language used/introduced, adult involment, child lead activities, learning objective/development matters, links to the eyfs and then the 4 themes, unique child, positive relationships etc.

 

Do you have to include all of this on your planning?? I really wanted to ay my planing out on a daily basis - Mon, Tue, Wed etc, but am finding that by wanting to do this, I cant get all of the above on there. Hence the question, do I need all this?!

 

Another confusing and long winded post, sorry guys, but I'm just soooo confused!!!! x x x