green hippo Posted November 13, 2012 Posted November 13, 2012 I'm reluctant to start another thread about the dreaded 'next steps' or 'plods' or whatever we're supposed to call them! Anyway, here goes: I'm just wondering what other people 'do' with their 'next steps' generated from observations that refer more to adult support than to needing a different resources/change of provision etc so that ALL staff are aware of the need to support the child in this. Do you just communicate them informally to staff/write them on your plan/write them on a different format? I have an A4 sheet with children's 'learning targets' which are 3 longer term goals that staff have with them to remind them while they are interacting with the children so they can slot these in where they can without hi-jacking play etc. We don't have any planning time together but want to make sure that we have a system in place where we can just let each other know what our thoughts are following observations. Also, do others 'evaluate' next steps other than with further observations which show that they have moved on from this point? Thanks, Green Hippo x
Guest pamgreen Posted November 13, 2012 Posted November 13, 2012 There was a wonderful planning sheet on the forum a few weeks ago which helped inform other staff I can't find it, if someone else can I would appreciate a link x
Guest Posted November 14, 2012 Posted November 14, 2012 This was a BIG issue at our setting from the Ofsted inspection last week, that we are not recorded our "next steps" well enough (even though we thought we had a good system in place) Be warned........You WILL get marked down on your grade for this !!!!!!!!
Kate_Atkinson Posted November 14, 2012 Posted November 14, 2012 Are you in a pre-school or reception class?
Smiles Posted November 14, 2012 Posted November 14, 2012 Did they suggest how they expected you too record them?
sunnyday Posted November 14, 2012 Posted November 14, 2012 This was a BIG issue at our setting from the Ofsted inspection last week, that we are not recorded our "next steps" well enough (even though we thought we had a good system in place) Be warned........You WILL get marked down on your grade for this !!!!!!!! Thanks for the tip lovemyjob..........I consider myself warned......
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Are you in a pre-school or reception class? I am in a pre school. Did they suggest how they expected you too record them? Well they said our early years team had to come into setting as a matter of urgency..........still waiting !!!! Banging our heads against a brick wall !
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Right i will be brave here and try and explain how we are doing things, please feel free to give constructive criticism......but please dont be too harsh as my confidence is currently at rock bottom anyway :blink: . Do obs with child. If they require further help/support we do next step (PLOD or whatever the current terminology is !) Next step (PLOD) is written on a sheet we have on the wall (this is a blank sheet at the beginning of every week with all the areas of learning etc) All this info that has been put on the sheet for the children is collated at the end of the week and gets put in the planning sheet for the following week (or whenever the child is in setting again) A further obs is done to see how this has helped or if this is a bigger area of learning that needs to be incorporated for more children. The observations are obviously recorded in their learning journeys and a tracker sheet is completed to say where they are on the age bands. Please give me some feedback, as Ofsted said this was not good enough ???? What does everyone else do............please be gentle with me :mellow:
sunnyday Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Hi lovemyjob.........right........gentle, gentle........this all sounds great and frankly probably more efficient than my current practice just wondered.......what happens if child doesn't require any further help/support - do you still record a next step........i.e. Betty can now complete a six piece interlocking puzzle - next step nine pieces.....was I gentle enough?! :1b
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Hi lovemyjob.........right........gentle, gentle........this all sounds great and frankly probably more efficient than my current practice just wondered.......what happens if child doesn't require any further help/support - do you still record a next step........i.e. Betty can now complete a six piece interlocking puzzle - next step nine pieces.....was I gentle enough?! :1b yes that was very gentle, thank you :1b ......yes we would record something like that still as a next step, Introduce Betty to more complex puzzles and our continuous provision would also reflect that, "provide more complex jigsaws alongside easier ones for all children to access.
sunnyday Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 yes that was very gentle, thank you :1b ......yes we would record something like that still as a next step, Introduce Betty to more complex puzzles and our continuous provision would also reflect that, "provide more complex jigsaws alongside easier ones for all children to access. Well then honestly I don't know what the big O were looking for........hopefully someone with a less mushlike brain (than mine I mean) will be along soon to enlighten the pair of us! :1b Sorry too to hear that your 'confidence is at rock bottom' is this as a result of your inspection.......
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 well mine is rock bottom now as we don't do anything like as efficient as yours sounds lovemyjob. Heaven help me in the new year when she visits me
Guest Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Well then honestly I don't know what the big O were looking for........hopefully someone with a less mushlike brain (than mine I mean) will be along soon to enlighten the pair of us! :1b Sorry too to hear that your 'confidence is at rock bottom' is this as a result of your inspection....... Well i thought it was just me !! She honestly didnt seem to understand how we did things and i broke it down into easy to digest stages for her !!! Confidence at rock bottom due to the awful six months we have endured due to a spiteful parent/ ex member of staff........and the awful Ofsted inspection !
sunnyday Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 well mine is rock bottom now as we don't do anything like as efficient as yours sounds lovemyjob. Heaven help me in the new year when she visits me Sorry to hear that Max .......it's hard to understand what they were 'after'...........
sunnyday Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Well i thought it was just me !! She honestly didnt seem to understand how we did things and i broke it down into easy to digest stages for her !!! Confidence at rock bottom due to the awful six months we have endured due to a spiteful parent/ ex member of staff........and the awful Ofsted inspection ! Well I haven't been able to help at all.......so I'm sending you a huge virtual hug and my very best wishes that things improve for you......
thumperrabbit Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Each child has a sheet for their next steps - this is completed by their own keyworker I have a master sheet of all children which just has 3 columns 'name' 'current interests' 'next steps' - I duplicate (hate doing this but feel I'm ticking a box!) what all the keyworkers have written and put a master copy on the notice board and we use it at our weekly staff meeting. I only update this sheet once a half term , as it takes us that long to get through all the children, due to their varying attendance patterns, (not to mention staff reluctance at having to do it) Ofsted were fine with it last year, however who's to say if a different inspector visited the very next day, that they would find it good enough. If it works for you I'd stick with it until your Early Years Advisor comes along who might be able to spread a little more light on what may be improved. 3
SueJ Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 V. similar to Thumperrabbit in that each child has a next steps sheet completed by their keyworker. Then have a master file with next steps grouping children who have similar next steps together by area of provision e.g., Messy Play/Sensory Play Betty and Bert - Currently / making tentative attempts to play with messy play activities - Next step / Encourage more sustained interest in messy play activities - PLOD - Betty is v. interest in all thinks sparkly so try sparkly shaving foam to encourage her engagement, Bert is v. interested in dinosaurs so try having dinosaurs in coloured pasta to encourage his engagement. These "grouped by area" next steps are blue tacked around the room (pack away setting so need to put up and take down every day) so that all setting practitioners can work with and do obs on children whether they are their key children or not. Yet to be Ofsted'd but hoping that they will find this method of making children's next steps visible to all practitioners will be OK Like Thumperrabbit says it is a bit of a box ticking, duplication of effort however once done keypeople can then update the individual sheets/create new ones as needed. Similar issues with children's varying attendance patterns and staff not desperately keen Whilst I hate duplication and "unnecessary paperwork" sadly your Ofsted judgement lives with you for a long time and is used as a benchmark by parents and local authorities alike and can have such an adverse impact on your business if your judgement is not too great. 1
green hippo Posted November 16, 2012 Author Posted November 16, 2012 Hi, thumperrabbit and SueJ - when you say that 'each has a next steps sheet' - do key workers have 1 next step at a time as opposed to filling in all 7 areas at once? Then each next step is planned for, then another one added once that has been achieved? Thanks Green Hippo x
SueJ Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 Hi Green Hippo - my keypeople have a next steps sheet with all 7 areas of learning on them but they are only expected to prioritise two or three next steps per child per half term updating as necessary. We have over 40 children on roll so if you had 7 next steps per child you would have 280 plus next steps for children attending the setting which is totally unmanageable. The next steps sheet specifically says at the bottom that children will not have next steps set in every area - it helps reminds keypeople that just because there is a blank box there it doesn't need filling in - it also makes it crystal clear to "outsiders" and parents that we do not set a next step in each area just because they are there. The sheet also has review boxes on them for each area so that we can "evidence" that we do not "move children on" without having reviewed their next steps if you see what I mean. 2
melc Posted December 18, 2012 Posted December 18, 2012 This is a very interesting thread as we are just trying to thrash out a workable system for next steps. we have a spontaneous planning grid on which we record changes to the environment. we have two reception classes with 2teachers and 2 tas. we offer large proportion of continuous provision with free flow so all of us need to be aware of next steps. and just how many next steps are manageable. any ideas?
Guest Posted December 18, 2012 Posted December 18, 2012 And from me too you poor thing! I sometimes think the only thing PLODding along in my class is me! Good luck x
thumperrabbit Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 This is 'in theory' cause we're having one heck of a term!! Each child has a sheet in the front of their folder with 7 boxes for each area of learning, key workers put next steps onto it, for their reference and the parents. There isn't 7 steps all the time but sometimes there is as some things take longer to achieve. At the weekly planning meeting we base the weeks planning around 4 children (1 from each of our key groups) if anyother children would benefit from that activity then their initials are also added to the plans.
melc Posted December 19, 2012 Posted December 19, 2012 Been back to work today, having rid my body of all germs only known to little people, and think we have a plan of action! We have incidental obs stickers which have a next steps bit on them - we are going to remove the next steps bit, otherwise we will end up with too many next steps - that is unless we see something glaringly obvious which will be written in and put on our grid. Next steps will come from 5mins obs every half term, focus activity or those incidentals that have to be addressed or built upon - eg johnny who still writes his J back to front for his name. We are going to have a grid for next steps stuck somewhere, (somewhere polite I may add), which all staff can refer to. Hopefully this will make it easier to cross reference back to when we identified the next step, thus showing the impact and progress. Not long now folks - spread the Christmas Cheer
Guest Posted December 31, 2012 Posted December 31, 2012 This is something we are focussing on in our Reception setting. To make all staff more aware of next steps and to focus our observations, questionning etc we thought about having posters - possibly in each learning area - detailing the Dev Matters statements/ELGS broken down, along with key vocab/questions. Is this something anybody already has? Have you found this to be something that helps? ANybody found anything that they have used and displayed in your setting? I dont want to reinvent the wheel if there is already something out there that would be useful. Happy new year :-)
finleysmaid Posted December 31, 2012 Posted December 31, 2012 most of the continuous provision sheets posted have this on them....do a search or go to the resource library ..you'll find loads there.
Rufus Posted January 3, 2013 Posted January 3, 2013 This is what I have been doing for the last 2 1/2 years....I have a list of the children in my class and along side each name is a list of their next steps, not always covering 7 areas and often a few next steps in the same area. Each week, the person on play support has the clip board to inform their observations and play. When the person on play support changes, they then pass the clipboard so that the person on play support always has up to date info. When a child has completed their next step this is highlighted so that all staff can see. The clipboard is updated each week and once or twice a half term the next steps are evaulated and either kept or another one written. I do not put next steps up on the walls of my classroom as parents can be very nosey and i would not want other parents knowing other children's next steps, especially when they are things like "to take account of other's voice in their play". Each child has somewhere bewtween 4 and 8 next steps, focussing on the areas that we feel are most important for that child at that time. Not been done by OFSTED but we are all happy, as are the LA and we can justify everything we do and that is sometimes half the battle! 1
Recommended Posts