Guest Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I hope you can help me because I am getting in a flap and I'm not sure whether it is justified! We have been undergoing monitoring visits from our EYAT specifically regarding planning. You may remember if you read my previous thread that I was struggling to work out a system which addressed next steps fairly. We have been advised to make sure all our children have one next step each week. This sounds ok and I was actually quite excited about it until the realisation hit me that that is NS for 60 children every week. I am struggling tonight with the planning, making sure I have enough activities to cater for all these children (who all do different days/sessions). I'm finding that the groups are becoming really big and that is sticking with the 2 NS activities every day. Any more than 2 NS activities per day will send us over the edge I think! I also have to factor in IEP targets and although I can include more than one child on some of them, some of them are specifically 1:1 type activities. I don't even think I'm making sense any more. I don't know how I am going to plan effectively for all these children by following the EYAT's suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Sorry Clare, I dont think I can help but that does sound a lot. Is there anyway you can group the children's needs to address this? What capacity are you working in, that you are doing all the planning? Is that not up to keyworkers to make that sort of provision? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBear Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 We are have been advised to reak our children into focus weeks over the term Our EYAT has said as long as we focus on them once thats fine! Can anyone share the planning format they use to plan for next steps on a daily basis please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBear Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 We are have been advised to reak our children into focus weeks over the term Our EYAT has said as long as we focus on them once thats fine! Can anyone share the planning format they use to plan for next steps on a daily basis please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I am a deputy in a pre-school. I think because the EYAT could see that I knew what I was doing, and the kinds of activities we should be planning, she has said she wants me to do it this week and next until she returns to see how it goes. Ordinarily, key workers plan for their own children and I just tie it all together on the weekly plan. I don't mind, I like doing the planning, but having to plan activities that will meet 60 next steps just seems like a mammoth task! I did speak to all key workers before I started the planning, so they have told me what areas they would like to focus on. I am slowly getting there, but it's not easy when you have all these children doing different days and sessions, as well as ranging in ages between 2 and 4.6! I have planned some activities and just looked to see how many children I could group for it, but like I said, the groups are getting bigger and bigger and soon we'll be at the point that they are too big for one staff member to manage comfortably or to achieve the desired outcome for all the children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 presumambly all yr children have a key person? In my setting the key person works out next steps for the children. They write on a sheet, child stage of dev. what area, what interests the child has, any schema noted and what their activity may be. It could bea planned but mostly we enhance th eareas we have which is based around a childs interest. eg looking at spiders webs in the garden, looking at shape with our play blocks They plan ns for each individul child and they key work on a set day. we have 35 children on roll they do not attend every day and we are mornings only it works really well, and each child is catered for their own interests like you i put it altogether on friday on a weekly provision plan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I am a deputy in a pre-school. I think because the EYAT could see that I knew what I was doing, and the kinds of activities we should be planning, she has said she wants me to do it this week and next until she returns to see how it goes. Ordinarily, key workers plan for their own children and I just tie it all together on the weekly plan. I don't mind, I like doing the planning, but having to plan activities that will meet 60 next steps just seems like a mammoth task! I did speak to all key workers before I started the planning, so they have told me what areas they would like to focus on. I am slowly getting there, but it's not easy when you have all these children doing different days and sessions, as well as ranging in ages between 2 and 4.6! I have planned some activities and just looked to see how many children I could group for it, but like I said, the groups are getting bigger and bigger and soon we'll be at the point that they are too big for one staff member to manage comfortably or to achieve the desired outcome for all the children. That makes sense then! But I think your feedback is it is too big a job for one person. Any chance you can get the others on board to help sort this out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hello Kitty Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 My first reaction to the OP was one each a WEEK! Then I realised that we set a next step for each area of learning for each child each half term (six weeks) so in effect it's the same amount I guess! At our planning meeting (weekly) each key worker looks at the NS they have for their children, grouping if possible and will contribute to the planning to help meet them. We do group time each day which is also used to address NS needs. We write the weekly plan together - we have 2 rooms and outside so most of the 6 keyworkers get to have something for their particular needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SazzJ Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We've just introduce a format for our next steps It's a grid with Name Observed Next step/request Area of learning Each staff member has one and just lists any next steps or requests that their key child has made. It might be as simple as asked for duplo out (were a pack away) in which case we just get the duplo out on a day they are in. If a child needed help with numbers for example - key worker would spend maybe 5 mins with them in an area of there choice introducing numbers to there play. Or ask them to count all the children at snack time. All pretty easy to add into planning. There is a great resources in the resources library that lists prompts for next steps. For some children it may be as simple as conintue with more of the same etc. maybe aim for it over 2 weeks as a start. But I can guarantee that some children will probs have very similar next steps in which case it is providing support and extension to an adult focused activity. Sorry not trying to teach you to suck eggs, just trying to simplify it for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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