FS progress tracking paper based resource?

[Guest]

Hi

I've just taken on EYFS Lead for 1 Reception class and 2 nursery rooms (full days and sessional rooms). Total 60ish children. We take children from 2yrs 9mnths.

I'd like to set up a system of tracking individual children's progress against the DM statements which would follow the child through FS.

I've looked at the computer based trackers but don't think that's what I need as I'm not sure the Teaching Assistants and nursery staff will be confident in using them. Plus they wouldn't be able to work on the trackers at home. Plus they have very little knowledge of the DM statements. I just need a good old fashioned highlighting pen system!

Before I set about making my own...

I'm wondering if anyone can direct me to a paper based tracker booklet which shows the DM statements?

Thanks

[finleysmaid]

Learning story 2012.docx

 

This any help????

[Guest]

Thanks for that finleysmaid. (I could call myself findlaysmaid!)

Can I ask how you highlight/code it across the year to show the term and whether the child is emerging, developing, secure?

I'd dearly love a single document which follows the child from N1 to N2 to Recep.

 

R

[finleysmaid]

we use a different colour biro to write in each term (red/green/ blue....could be any colour though!) (and when they do more than a year you can see the coloured bands repeat but you know the one at the bottom of the box is newer than the one at the top!!)

You can easily see if they are emerging /developing or secure by the amount of info that's in there (if box is full then they are probably secure!! ) it is a best fit system so they DO NOT have to do exactly what the statement says...you are using your professional judgement as to whether they are there! so in physical it might say can walk up and down stairs with object....i don't need to see this if the child can walk up and down a balance beam without issue!!

I use this learning story for all of our children and i have children who are developmentally below age and children who are in their reception year.

Works well for us and ofsted liked it!

[Guest]

Sorry, I'm probs being stupid... what do you write in the boxes?

Do you mean you write in all the dates when you have made an observation of that statement?

And if that's what you mean, do you always have evidence of that observation in the Learning Journal?

 

R

[Wildflowers]

We use a tracking system on paper which we have created ourselves. Statements to the left, originally from the DMs and ELGs but reworded many times over, to make it clearer for all what to look for. Children's initials to the right. We have a coding system, basically covering the children's initial when an ability is secure, as observed by both of us. (We're two staff, both being everyone's key persons, which reduces subjectivity.) We have an additional sheet with statements for younger children and one for older/more able. We indicate the initial of the months above the child's initial when the progress was made, and circle the initial if we need to focus our attention in any particular area.

[finleysmaid]

No stupid questions...only stupid answers!

This is our whole documentation ...we would write in the boxes the observations we have made on the child after assessing whether it matches the statement (does that make sense??) so annie comes to me for a cuddle in the morning ...she then goes to play with the cars. Later when she is tired she returns to me for a cuddle and a story ...taking it in turns to turn the pages with another child ....this ob would be written under personal and social 16 months....i would expect to have more evidence on this before i moved on the the next outcome...however this record also allows for you to fill in other boxes as all children do not always follow the progress in order. I might also have a picture of Annie with me on the sofa having a story (our photos are date marked on the camera) If i wrote this ob in feb 2014 i would note this at the top of the box...i might then have another ob in march that says annie said hello to me and whizzed in to hang up her coat....she then went to play. This would be progression so would be at the bottom of the 16 month box or the top of the next box (depending on my judgement as to how confidently she did this)

[finleysmaid]

just to confirm this is THE childrens learning story...we have one of these for each child...it is kept up to date by their keyworker and covers them until the end of reception (if they stay with us) the ELG's are seperate but at the end of the booklet.(as parents got confused when i included them in the month bands) so each child has one file with all their evidence and assessment in...any other evidence is included too (like photos/products /wows etc)

[Panders]

Thank you for the download Finleysmaid, it's good to share! Ours very similar, except on the right hand side I have it split up into the different terms and we evaluate in there whether the child is E,D or S. On the left hand side along with the statements, we put numbers which correspond with the observational evidence in their Learning Journey file and yes, we use different colours for each term too.

 

My staff then give me their results for each term for each child and I plot this on the "master plan" which shows progression for the whole group, or groups of girls or boys or whatever.

[Wildflowers]

We don't record any evidence. We don't have time when with the children, primarily outdoors. All observations are done by everyone working with a child, together (we're small), e.g. I may come to my colleague saying 'Johnnie told Peter that he could have the spade', then asking if she would say that Johnnie now can take turns.

[hopeytg]

EYFS_Profile_for preschools 2012.doc

We use a similar system but no 'comment' area - I pinched it off here

Edited February 16, 2014 by hopeytg

[Guest]

Key staff track their own children based on written obs but mainly their knowledge of the child ( we plan individually for each child).

 

So planning is used inside or taken outside depending on where the child is.

 

Staff track onto a sheet, we also use E, D, S

[thumperrabbit]

We also use a paper tracker (like hopeytg)

Can I ask do you keep them in the child's learning journey folder with all their obs & photos? or do you keep them separately?

We currently keep them in the child's folder, but I keep wondering if Ofsted would see this as a 'tick list' even though it definitely isn't used that way

[finleysmaid]

panders i would love to see your master plan(feel i need an evil laugh there!)

 

Wildflowers...but you do record evidence..... you record photos....do you not use these in a learning story for the children? (we record on posties when we're outside too)

[Wildflowers]

We don't record learning stories. I would love to do it though (having read M Carr's latest book). We can't during the day as we are busy dealing with practicalities (including providing snack and lunch), observing the children and supporting their learning. We discuss amongst ourselves what we observe, to keep our tracking record accurate at all times. (We don't to e.g. half termly assessments - they happen continuously.)

If we kept learning journals, we would take notes (not possible when raining) to transfer them at the end of the day. Children leave at 3 pm. We discuss with parents and each other and clean until 4 or 4.30 pm. Then I do admin until bedtime, the next morning and much of the weekends. (Updating tracking sheets, e-mailing parents and others, EYE funding forms, writing invoices, buying resources,doing staff recruitment as needed, policy updates, SEF, photo editing, form filling and filing etc etc).

We take lots of photos (about 500) which parents get on USB sticks they bring in or I give them on CDs at the end of each term. They're all mixed up and not annotated.

Parents are told about some of the children's learning experiences during the day when collecting, but we can't document them, unfortunately.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Wildflowers

[hopeytg]

Thumperrabbit - we kept them separately (now use Tapestry - we used to have a 'scrap book' of photo's and 'obs' for parents to access and staff used the profile to monitor children's progress and identify next steps - Ofsted had no problem with it as we were clearly showing progress.

It also helped staff to become familiar with the outcomes - making observations more valid.

[Wildflowers]

The advantage of a 'paper tracker' is that you can, at a glance, spot gaps and next steps in learning, and provide for progress at the next suitable opportunity. We are now, because of it, able to use transition times more effectively for individual children's learning, e.g. rhyming, blending or counting when walking somewhere or sequencing events, talking about the morning, when assisting with clothing.