I just walked out of the children’s toilet area with a plunger in my right hand; I had unblocked the toilet filled with sand for the third time this week! I’m stopped by a parent and we chat a little about how Tommy is getting on. I then walk past a member of staff and ask her to ensure the doors are open to allow children free access to the outdoors. As I’m walking towards my office I have a hundred thoughts flying in my head.... chase debtors, print invoices, call the Speech Therapist, tell the cleaners they missed a spot...... interrupting my thoughts I hear the door bell and approach to open it. There standing in front of me is a woman around 5.4, short brown hair with glasses. “Good morning” she says. I respond to her greeting. She then says “I’m an OfSTED inspector here to inspect your provision today”. I’m so sure she noticed my jaw drop, I felt something moist on my forehead, no I couldn’t possibly be sweating, oh yes I was! And then the shock realisation as I looked to the side, there in my right hand I still had the toilet plunger in full view of the inspector as if ready to throttle someone! I immediately hid it behind my back, plastered a smile on my face and invited her in. What a start I tell myself! Most of us have had this experience, not necessarily with the toilet plunger, but the fear and anxiety caused by OfSTED’s unexpected arrival, which then spreads like an epidemic throughout the setting as one practitioner tells the other, “OfSTED is here!” OfSTED's (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) ultimate role is to make a judgement about the quality of the early years provision. As if the nervousness of this experience was not bad enough, now OfSTED go and throw joint observations of practice with setting providers in the mix! Joint observations have now become a must under OfSTED’s early years inspection framework. The guidance for inspectors, Conducting Early Years Inspections, states that an ‘inspector would normally invite the provider or a nominated senior member of staff, such as the manager or early years professional to participate in one or more joint observations’ (OfSTED, 2013a, p.14) Here, there was an opportunity to accept or decline such an invitation. However inspectors found that evidence gained through the joint observations with senior staff is proving to be extremely valuable and has provided them with an excellent opportunity to assess how well leaders and managers monitor staff performance. Therefore a recent revision in Early years inspection and regulation newsletter (2013) now states that inspectors MUST include in all inspections of group settings, at least one joint observation with a senior member of staff (OfSTED, 2013b, p.3). As the day proceeds, the inspector discusses with me when I will be available for a joint observation. I’m yet again in shock horror. In my head I hear this scream as I knew about the joint observations but with all my management duties I really didn’t have the time to look at it in depth, let alone practice my observation skills! Yes I did this on my rounds and corrected or supported as and when, but not at length. On top of this my EYP is not in! Argh! So we arrange to observe a group of 4 children with a practitioner at the creative area. I sit there with my note pad and see the inspector vigorously typing away. I’m asking myself what has she observed that I’ve missed? I’ve just written two lines! I observe but also through the corner of my eye keep an eye on the inspector. Gosh! She’s going to think I’m the worst manager ever, I know I can do this but the shock of them being here is making me nervous! So why does the joint observation element of OfSTED inspections cause us panic and anxiety? Is it because our monitoring and evaluation is under scrutiny? Well I have no easy way to say this, but yes that is exactly what is happening. Providers and senior management are the suitable people who have overall responsibility in leading and supporting practitioners in their work with children. The OfSTED inspector needs to be satisfied in assessing the accuracy and quality of their abilities in staff monitoring and evaluation of practice. The joint observation opens up a whole dialogue with the inspector where they can assess the senior’s abilities of this first-hand. The positive aspect is that providers and senior managers are contributing towards the judgement about the quality of practice and children’s learning directly, rather than sitting on the receiving end of a day’s feedback. This is an opportunity for all those involved to demonstrate how well early years settings are run through monitoring and evaluation. The thought of such a process is overwhelming however most of us remember when OfSTED introduced the SEF (Self-Evaluation Form). The anxiety and stress it caused bringing with it a number of questions in how to best complete it, let alone try to do so online! Today, even though there are still some minor struggles, the SEF has become second nature to us in evaluating how good our provision for young children really is and what more we need to do to maintain and develop it. It also demonstrates how flexible we are in adapting with the ever-changing climate of early years on a daily basis, because let’s face it; it is not the first change we have had to deal with! Therefore this should contribute to our understanding that the joint observation is and will become a norm, what we have to do is prepare for it in advance and embed it into our existing working practices prior to any inspection taking place. Preparing for the joint observation Observing practice and feeding back to practitioners should be the norm of any quality early years setting in demonstrating how effective the provision and the adults actually are for children’s learning and development. Such observations of practice provide an opportunity to pick up new ideas and ways of working and to get a feel for the dynamics occurring in the setting. There is also the opportunity to explore, through discussion and reflection with the practitioners and the team as a whole, the issues and concerns of the day to day practice, and the organisation of, and delivery of the teaching and learning environments. The main aim is What are we doing for children and how? Why do we do what we do? How can we do it more effectively? Firstly the senior managers in the provision need to be established. These would normally be the nursery manager, deputy manager and the early years professional. Room leaders or Heads of Rooms can be added to the equation once senior management have mastered the observation in practice process in-house. Senior managers should then read the following documents which are available on the OfSTED website: Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision – this contains guidance and grade descriptors for judgements that inspectors use to inspect provision. Conducting early years inspections – this provides guidance for inspectors from the time the inspection is arranged to the publication of the report and is used in conjunction with the above document. It also has a section on joint observations. Once read, senior managers should come together to discuss what each has learnt from the documents and how some elements can be embedded into their daily work prior to any unannounced inspection; What are we already doing? What more do we need to do? Next senior managers need to draw up an observation in practice time table either for the year or a term. As per the two scenarios earlier in this article, the manager has so many operational duties to deal with that having time to observe practice comes at the end. This new inspection regime is a welcomed change in allowing senior managers to discuss and negotiate with owners and providers the essential role observations play within their own roles to effectively lead to an outstanding inspection. As a manager of a 70 place nursery I found taking the time out for observations very difficult as I would get interrupted and have to stop. Other times I did not carry them out at all due to shortages in staff or having to deal with another duty. I quickly learnt that this was causing a little mistrust between me and my team as I said I would be observing and feeding back but then never did. So I arranged a meeting with my seniors and looked at dividing my duties on the days/times I chose to observe between them. We then communicated this to the team in a staff meeting. I now on my observation days and times wear a blue tabard which indicates to all staff and seniors that I am in observation and not to interrupt and instead go to the designated seniors for any issues. This went for the owner and directors too when they visited! Journal entry of a Nursery Manager There needs to be a shared understanding between the senior management that when time for observations has been allocated then it should proceed without any interruptions as indicated in the scenario above. Once seniors have established their ground work on how the observations in practice will operate between them, then a staff meeting should be arranged. This is essential to discuss with all practitioners the OFSTED observation requirements and how the senior managers of the setting intend to embed observations of practice into the norm of the setting (if not doing so already). Any staff anxiety around observations need to be addressed with a clear understanding that this is all about quality outcomes for the children the setting provides for, and about effective practice. Staff need to be made aware of how they will know observations are taking place. For example, when managing a day centre, I had a communication whiteboard for all my staff and at the beginning of a particular week just wrote the words ‘Observation Week’. This way all staff were aware that any day and time within that week I will conduct an observation on anyone, anywhere. You could go one step further and create themes of what you are observing for, for example ‘Observation Week: Interactions’ or ‘Observation Week: Care Routines’ etc. This makes transparent for practitioners what exactly is being observed. Conducting observations of practice OfSTED Inspectors spend most of the inspection time gathering first-hand evidence by observing children and practitioners during learning activities, play and daily care routines (OfSTED, 2013a, p.11). In order to do this the inspector can engage in a number of modes of observation which providers, managers and EYPs should familiarise themselves with and use in their own observation practice on a regular basis. These consist of: Observations of a specific activity or age group of 20 to 30 minutes Tracking of a small group of children to assess children’s experiences at the setting Longer observations over 30 minutes which can be used to assess care routines and activities and how well these are supporting children, and to capture best and weak practice. Short observations of a number of activities and practice scenarios. If there are three senior managers, then 3 observations of practice a month will be sufficient (1 each) which seniors would then get together and discuss. However, do not forget that OfSTED inspections consist of joint observations, so two seniors should also conduct observations jointly to then discuss. This is important to judge whether seniors are on the same understanding about what constitutes quality teaching and learning practice. Using the different modes of observations it is then about conducting the observations to start building a practice portfolio. The portfolio will contain the observations that seniors conduct, notes on their assessment and any actions set as a result. This will be very handy to show the OfSTED inspector too. As mentioned earlier, observation themes can be created to assist in what to actually observe for. I have produced some themes for you at the end of this article. The list is not exhaustive and can be used as a starting point to then create and add further themes as your own observations reveal more information. I undertook a joint observation with the Toddler Room leader and we focussed on how independence is being promoted amongst the very physical and mobile 2 year olds! We both then looked at each other’s observations and discussed them. What quickly became apparent was that the room leader focused on what was not so strong about the observation and gave very limited input on any good practice observed. What was helpful in doing the observation jointly was that when she read my observation and I discussed why I think what I saw was strong, it made her think and understand that she had to look past the negative aspects and also focus on the strengths which can be built upon, but also be able to say it. To make it more effective we devised a chart which had a space to record each observation date, the focus (if any), and a strength for each of the practitioners observed as well as areas for development. This supported her in identifying one strength and one weakness in her observation to assist in her analysis. The chart itself helped immensely in pairing up strengths of practitioners with the needs of other practitioners to help mentor them as well as develop in-house training. For example Jane was observed to have excellent interactions with the toddlers and we found Linda to have limited. At times Linda would just remain quiet in activities. So we paired Jane and Linda together with Linda shadowing Jane and both later discussing it. Staff also find this less daunting than having a senior manager around all the time. (Observation experience of an Early Years Professional) Assessing observations and providing feedback When joint observations are undertaken with OfSTED, a joint discussion takes place on the views about the quality of practice in supporting children’s care, learning and development. The inspector will look towards the provider/senior manager for their views about the observation's strengths, what would have made it better and how good it was overall. The inspector may ask the senior manager to feedback to the practitioner(s) observed in front of them in order to evaluate their assessment about what constitutes quality practice. Therefore once observations of practice are recorded, as we do with children’s observations, the next step is about analysing the observations and deciding what they tell us. Ultimately effective assessment of observations involves evaluations or rather decisions about staff practice and their development needs. It gives information to plan for ‘next steps’ of effective practice. The observation theme questions at the end of this article can help highlight answers within the observations for discussion to determine what is strong and what needs developing. The other crucial part of the observations in practice is the feedback to practitioners directly. I was really nervous when being observed by my manager. I did eventually relax because whenever I looked up at her she would give me a warm smile. Of course I was even more nervous when she fed back to me. I had all these thoughts about the possibility of losing my job if my practice was not up to scratch. However she started by asking me what I thought about it. I found this really helpful as I was able to say what the children got out of the session, why certain things did not happen as planned etc. The manager then went through the strengths which I was ecstatic with and she pointed out the areas of development. The feedback was not just ‘oh this was good and this was not’, she explained exactly why something was strong and why something needed developing. She even asked me how I think I could develop those areas. We drew up some targets and she explained that my room leader would be supporting me on them and keeping track on how effectively I am meeting them. This also prompted me to go onto the internet at home and find articles and practice guides to help me reach my targets in bettering my practice, which I shared with my team members too. (Practitioner’s reflection on her observation feedback) Feedback to practitioners needs to be constructive. It needs to highlight strengths and areas for development with clear reasons and evidence. However practitioners also need to be allowed to add context to the observations made, yet again as we do with children from their parents. It is about discussing with practitioners about why they do the different things that have been observed. This will demonstrate their own understanding and knowledge in certain areas but allow them to contribute directly to the observation in practice cycle to ultimately aid in effective practice. Final thought Today’s preparation determines tomorrow's achievement (Unknown Author) Themes for Observations in Practice Observation Theme What to look listen and note for? Transitions How do practitioners support the settling in of new children? How are children supported in room to room transitions when they turn a particular age? How do practitioners ensure smooth transitions between routines, activities and uninterrupted periods of play? Routines (including care) How do practitioners greet children and families? How do practitioners organise arrival and departure times, including noting attendance? How do practitioners meet children’s hygiene needs throughout the day? How do practitioners carry out nappy changing and toileting time without making it seem like a domestic duty? Do practitioners ensure a balanced adult-led and child initiated day? Learning Environment How do practitioners set up the learning environment? Do practitioners set up a learning environment which reflects cultural diversity and gives a sense of inclusion? Where do practitioners stand or sit? How much do they move around the room? How are they deployed within the environment? What does the practitioner do to prepare for a session? Where do they find their resources? How do they prepare for individual activities or prepare the learning environment as a whole? How do they collaborate with other practitioners in doing so? How do children respond to the available resources and setting up of the learning environment? Is there any apparent gender differences in children’s responses to the learning environment? Or in their interactions with peers and adults? And how do practitioners deal with this? How do practitioners respond to children who appear disengaged or wandering? Interactions Who initiates interactions? How do practitioner and child respond to each other? Note any observations of interactions where teaching or learning occurred. Observe children’s interactions with other practitioners – did these differ from those with the first practitioner? How do practitioners model language, develop children’s ability to express their ideas and views and extend their use of new words? Do practitioner’s questions challenge children to think and find out more by encouraging them to speculate and test ideas through trial and error? Do practitioners take time to talk to the children about what they are doing, their likes and interests, their thoughts on the learning environment etc? Independence How are practitioners encouraging and facilitating independence and self-help? What can children do by themselves and what can they do when supported by a practitioner? How do practitioners support the development of independence skills, particularly for children who are highly dependent upon adults support for personal care? Activities Are there a range of activities for children to take part in? How do activities allow learning and development across all areas of learning? What activities do children engage in? For how long? Who do they interact with? How well do practitioners motivate and engage children in activities? How challenging are activities for children’s ages and stages of development? How do practitioners take children’s initiations in activities forward? How do practitioners respond to children’s ideas? How and when do practitioners intervene in children’s play? How do practitioners conduct large or small group activities such as story or music time? What strategies do they use to gain children’s interest and attention? How do practitioners deal with potential distractions? Behaviour How do practitioners promote positive behaviour? How do practitioners cope when children display challenging behaviour? How do children respond to the different behaviour guidance strategies from practitioners? Which strategies seemed most effective and why? How do practitioners resolve conflicts between children? Emotional attachments and relationships What are the relationships like between children and practitioners? How do practitioners respond to sensitive periods i.e. crying when upset? How do practitioners provide emotional support to individual children? How do practitioners encourage secure attachments? How is children’s well-being catered for? How do practitioners encourage and support friendships between children? How do practitioners support children to listen to each other and notice each other’s feelings? How do practitioners carry out their key person duties? Parent Relations How do practitioners show parents that they value them as their child’s first educator? How do practitioners ensure that parents feel fully involved, welcomed and included in the day-to-day activities of the setting? Including those with EAL? What opportunities do practitioners provide for parents to be involved in the setting if they wish? How do practitioners share with parents information about their child’s learning and development? How do practitioners promote continuity of care between home and the setting? How confident are staff in working with parents and resolving any conflicts? Further prompts: You could choose to follow one child during a session, or over a day, to see how they use the learning environment, how they cope with routines and transitions including arrival and departure, what social interactions they are engaged in, and how often they interact with the practitioners. You could choose to follow a practitioner during the day and record a diary of the things they do to highlight effective practice. You can use photographs to create a practice ‘photologue’ of effective practice too! When feeding back to practitioners or in joint discussions the following knowledge and understanding should be sought: Practitioners knowledge and understanding about: Each child’s learning and development EYFS Development Matters Characteristics of Learning Observation, assessment and planning Child development Safeguarding
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