AnonyMouse_45166 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Hi, just wondering if anyone could help. I'm looking at changing/improving the weekly planning sheet so that the staff can put more input on what the children's interests are. Any help would be appropriated. Here is a blank planning sheet of what I do at the moment. Weekly Planning Sheet - Blank.docx Edited February 6, 2015 by beckyjayne
AnonyMouse_45166 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Edited February 6, 2015 by beckyjayne
AnonyMouse_14688 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 Hi beckyjane, I am unable to open your planning sheet, sorry! Joanne
AnonyMouse_4495 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) I'm slowly changing the planning at our playgroup as there is so much to fill in on a daily basis. We have a sheet that looks very similar to what you have attached and then each key worker fills in what they have done with any of their key children plus what snacks, books we've read, songs we've sung....it is very time intensive. I'm looking at doing something like I've (hopefully) attached and which I probably got from here in the first place!! It will go on our newly created planning wall . The first page will be completed at the start of every half term following our planning meeting, with a rough guide to what we want to have out. At the start of the week the info is filled in with the toys that are out (they tend to stay the same for the week unless children request things specifically)Then arrows show if they are still out the next day with the idea being that as and when children request things, they get initalled on the sheet. Key workers have their own colour pens or highlighters, so they mark what they are specifically doing and it becomes a work in progress throughout the week. The key worker sheet is for next steps to be identified for that half term, so children are initialled with their next steps, any observations that are planned and any gaps that staff have identified to focus on. Does that make sense? As an aside - does anyone record daily books/songs etc? Is this too much/not necessary info unless related to the topic? Ta x Planning idea - sarahs version.doc Edited February 6, 2015 by Running Bunny
Guest PeggyC Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 I plan half termly topics and then weekly learning objectives. The week planning is usually linked to a book. I have a map of the classroom with the activities that are to be changed written on the map on top of cupboard/table/floor etc. Staff annotate the map with any particular interests or ways that the children's learning can be developed or enhanced. At the end of each day I evaluate briefly - What went well (WWW) and what could be improved (EBI) even better if.. Certain children are a focus each week on a rota, but that could be key worker children for your setting. Their interests are put into the follow week's planning. The quality of the teaching in Early years is the interactions between staff and the children. If staff are constantly having to do assessments they can't talk to the children and take their learning forward. The person who is doing the focus activity assesses all the children. I usually find I get better assessments of the children when they are outside. I have attached a sample of my weekly planning, with names deleted,Autumn 2 Goldilocks no names.doc but the map is just hand drawn.
AnonyMouse_19802 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 Sorry beckyjane, I couldnt open your document either docx doesnt open on my ipad. Did look at Peggyc and Runningbunny's and Im no expert on planning - even tho I've been doing this for years - but I cannot believe how time consuming this kind of planning is! If you are in a one room setting, working together do you need to write everything down? Ours is SO basic. I dont have a download of the sheet we use but this is basically it: Evaluate last week: verbally - write any major changes/notes re health & safety issues. Objective for next week: 2 week theme: Occupations and People Who help Us What are we doing? Planned visits from community workers Role play area - Hospital/vets. (adapt as childrens interest dictates) Walk to visit building site Other resources to support! occupation puppets, dressing up, small world Continuous Provision: Last weeks Number Puppy Book, Last weeks Silly Soup, messy play choice Anything children have asked, enhanced playdoh, creative, home corner, markmaking etc - We all just chip in ideas - Red group circle time: (4yr olds). any additions/changes Blue group (2/3s). any additions/changes And Thats It!!! We only do snapshot post its for anything significant Children have a Next Step/PLOD sheet each and keypersons choose a focus child each week I do not see why you should need to write every learning attention down and every activity/resource We go with the flow, childrens needs/interests change everyday and we aim to meet them - not whats written on planning sheets. Works for us! Saves a lot of time too : ) 1
AnonyMouse_12805 Posted February 6, 2015 Posted February 6, 2015 I'm with Rafa!! I have scaled down our WRITTEN planning so much it's almost non existent Every half term, keyworkers work out next steps for their children- I put them up on 2/3 sheets under areas of learning. This sheet has room for activities & notes to be added & stays up for half a term. We do one AoL as a focus (ish) per week & staff rotate this. So this week was Lit done by X- who would see what needed doing & for who and decided accordingly what to do for it. Next week it will be PSED done by Y and so on. Does this make sense? Probably not, a lot is planned verbally now, children's initials are added or crossed off during the half term as we go along. With any additional focus or things keyworkers may need to know also added. I have been doing this for nearly 20 years now and have never felt that I have got the planning right- always changing and striving to find a better way to do things however although i'm not convinced by any means that i have it right, I do at least now feel that: 1. I am no longer prepared to spend hours of my time writing up stuff that no one reads just so it looks good. 2. I no longer have the time to keep writing things up 3. Staff are much happier with the way we are doing things and get just as much info as before & most importantly 4.The children are happy & thriving (despite having no weekly plans up) and we are bursting at the seams turning people away! So we must be doing something right- although i have no doubt Mrs O will completely disagree. 6
Guest Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Constantly adding and taking away from mine..... I plan a monthly topic and split this into weekly topic plans over the 7 areas. I add these to a weekly provision sheet and then keyworkers add 2 activities for each of their children based on next steps, focus points and interests. I have attached it all below Parent plan EYFS.doc Planned topic activities NEW.docx NEW PLANNING PROVISION EXAMPLE.docx
AnonyMouse_7120 Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 I always feel quite inadequate when I see some peoples planning now, (the ones here all look great) ours is scaled right back, done weekly, no forward planning for terms/themes/topics etc, each staff member adds a focus next step for one KC, other staff add initials alongside of who could benefit from/enjoy planned activity (other children can obviously participate), any interests have already been added to an 'interest' sheet, if they can't happen immediately they will be added to future planning, we discuss as a team for all of 5 mins what the group activities will be the following week, if a KP added it they are responsible for ensuring it happens and evaluating. 1
Guest Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 I always feel quite inadequate when I see some peoples planning now, (the ones here all look great) ours is scaled right back, done weekly, no forward planning for terms/themes/topics etc, each staff member adds a focus next step for one KC, other staff add initials alongside of who could benefit from/enjoy planned activity (other children can obviously participate), any interests have already been added to an 'interest' sheet, if they can't happen immediately they will be added to future planning, we discuss as a team for all of 5 mins what the group activities will be the following week, if a KP added it they are responsible for ensuring it happens and evaluating. Tbh I have tried to do without the topic but I feel it keeps everyone (including staff) interested. They tend to lose focus otherwise. All their key children activities are unrelated to the topic - planned simply on interests and next steps. The parents seem to like it too and often bring related things in to the setting to add to our provision which is nice.
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 I always feel quite inadequate when I see some peoples planning now, (the ones here all look great) ours is scaled right back, done weekly, no forward planning for terms/themes/topics etc, each staff member adds a focus next step for one KC, other staff add initials alongside of who could benefit from/enjoy planned activity (other children can obviously participate), any interests have already been added to an 'interest' sheet, if they can't happen immediately they will be added to future planning, we discuss as a team for all of 5 mins what the group activities will be the following week, if a KP added it they are responsible for ensuring it happens and evaluating. Pheww...... I thought it was just me. We do the same as you. 1
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 7, 2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Tbh I have tried to do without the topic but I feel it keeps everyone (including staff) interested. They tend to lose focus otherwise. All their key children activities are unrelated to the topic - planned simply on interests and next steps. The parents seem to like it too and often bring related things in to the setting to add to our provision which is nice. To be honest I find the opposite - when we had topic/themes I found the staff would often go off on their own agenda as to what activities to provide rather than what than being child led. 1
AnonyMouse_51737 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Our planning is so basic it's untrue, but it's valuable so that's the main point. We do cover topics staff work in pairs on an assigned topic divided out a staff meeting, but I check the planning they do for this and ensure it's again about the process and not just end result also they have to include target audience so children and parents for instance parents coming in for a parade etc only thing I find which disappoints me is that if it's not 'their' activity (as in staff) then tgey can be seen to disregard others activities asin not putting effort in.
AnonyMouse_22106 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 Mine is virtually non-existent now too - we have our continuous provision plus a planned 'craft/art/messy play' which has to be manned - I dread to think what would happen if we didn't these days! To be quite honest I also think that it depends on the age of the children in your group too - I wonder how many of the detailed planning sheets are actually for Reception aged classes? If we only had 3/4 year olds we could achieve soooooo much more (and we used to!) but with so many 2 year olds we are just chasing our tails these days - IF we manage to fit in any kind of Adult Led activity we add it to the bottom of our continuous provision sheet with an evaluation of who completed and how it went. Not enjoying our mixed aged provision as much as I used to - when the balance was more 3/4 yr olds it was great, now the balance is more very young 2 yr olds it's changed EVERYTHING! 3
AnonyMouse_7120 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 I'm with you there Thumperrabbit, I think pressuring us to take 2 year olds has been at the expense of the 3/4 yr olds, maybe not the nurseries who have always been geared up for the younger ones and have the option of separate rooms, but for those of us who are one room only pre-schools it's been a massive change to what we used do and I'm still not convinced it's been for the better, now I also happen problems with the turning 3,s not being able to have their funded hours with us and that is causing unhappy parents and more shared provision, apart from more work with info sharing is that really best for the child ? Sorry gone off topic there...we don't plan separately for 2 yr olds either (other than group times), they can use/access anything with the correct level of support. 1
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 We've had a child stay with us this year due to not getting a school place. It has really reminded me of how much fun it was the old days when we had children until the term of 5th birthday. The trouble is- I also think we are failing him due to the requirements/demands of the 2yr olds. 1
AnonyMouse_22106 Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 2015 We've had a child stay with us this year due to not getting a school place. It has really reminded me of how much fun it was the old days when we had children until the term of 5th birthday. The trouble is- I also think we are failing him due to the requirements/demands of the 2yr olds. Yes, we have had 4 stay with us and we feel exactly the same. I know it's parental choice, but in the 'good ole days' we always used to try and 'gently convince' parents to stay at pre-school until Reception class but now I honestly feel that they are better off at a school nursery where they are all the same age - that and the fact that are fees are now (for the first time ever) more than the amount we get for 3/4yr funding
AnonyMouse_22106 Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 2015 now I also happen problems with the turning 3,s not being able to have their funded hours with us and that is causing unhappy parents and more shared provision, Yep, I've got that too! 1
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