The Early Years Foundation Stage has been in an unprecedented period of challenge and change over the last three years, which has been far from easy as we have tried to maintain the philosophy and pedagogy of research informed high quality practice (see Getting it right in the EYFS: a review of the evidence, 2019). However this has all been eclipsed by the need for settings and schools to focus on creating a safe, secure and welcoming environment for the children of key workers and vulnerable children over the last 10 weeks, and now to consider carefully how all children can eventually return to early education.
In making these considerations the sector needs to completely focus on ‘getting it right’ for children and their families. Making it the best experience it can be, starting from a position of health, safety and well-being, so that the transitions young children make are ones that recognise that a ‘sense of connection and belonging is key’, where structures, routines and particularly relationships have the time to be re-established and children (and their parents) feel both psychologically and physically safe (Harmieson, Trauma Informed Schools, 2020). Some of these children and families have been dealing with extreme loss, illness and stress which must be supported, whilst other children may be less affected, they will all have thoughts and questions that need sensitive answers from their practitioners and teachers.
As some children return (transition) to school for a limited period, they will then have another 6 weeks off school before having to return again. Many, especially the younger children (48mths old) will find this ‘yo-yo’ transition difficult even traumatic – this will all need sensitive handling so that this is a happy, positive experience to the start of their school life
As such this is definitely not a time for the Government to be making one of its key concerns the undertaking of the Baseline test within days of children, some only just 4yrs old, arriving back into school in September. What we want for these children is the best transition experience they deserve after living through the worst experience they could possibly have had since the second world war. The transition they need deserves more thought and planning by the professionals who know and fully understand young children, it is time to start involving the sector and talking to the many experts in the field of child development and early education.
So what could a quality experience look like for children in the EYFS?
This is the transition I would want for children…..
Young children deserve a transition which includes a settling in period in partnership with their parents, plenty of time to build relationships with their teachers/practitioners and friendships, a multiplicity of opportunities to talk, play and build self-confidence and positive dispositions to being a learner. These are strong foundations on which to build learning.
However, there are many barriers to this becoming a reality in general they cluster around the following 3 points.
There is much to consider, before children return to their schools and settings and then to actually put this into practice re-establishing high quality pedagogy and practice. It is likely that the next school year will be as dominated by the Corona Virus as it has this year as we all learn new ways of living and learning. My hope is that we can do this in positive, appropriate and inspiring ways which builds everyone’s resilience, especially for children and families, in dealing with trauma and change, however there are three important questions to be answered,
Di Chilvers
Advisory Consultant in Early Childhood Education, trainer, researcher and writer
June 1st, 2020
www.watchmegrow.uk
Education inspection framework 2019: inspecting the substance of education
Di Chilvers – Response to the consultation document
5th April 2019
We propose the introduction of a new ‘quality of education’ judgement built around our working definition of the curriculum. It will focus on a provider’s educational intent, implementation and impact. Inspectors look at teaching, assessment, attainment and progress under the current inspection framework, and they will continue to do so, but these considerations will contribute, viewed in the context of the provider’s curriculum, to a single quality of education judgement. In short, we propose to take a holistic approach to considering the quality of education rather than artificially separating the leadership of the curriculum from teaching, and separating teaching and the use of assessment from the impact this has on the outcomes that learners achieve. This will de-intensify the inspection focus on performance data and place more emphasis on the substance of education and what matters most to learners and practitioners.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposal to introduce a ‘quality of education’ judgement?
A focus on the Quality of Education (pedagogy and practice) is very welcome - it shifts the view from measurement and data to the quality of the curriculum - what is experienced and learned by the child
Quality is about many things, one of which is the curriculum but it also includes the quality of those who are creating the curriculum. Creating a curriculum which is fit for purpose in the EYFS needs to be undertaken by professionally trained experts in the field (0-7 yrs) who are highly experienced
We already have a Quality Curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage which includes the following elements;
A Unique Child + Positive Relationships + Enabling Environments = Learning and Development (EYFS Overarching Themes and Principles, EYFS Statutory Framework (2017. p.6). This forms the INTENT of the EYFS Curriculum.
The EYFS curriculum is different for young children (0-5+) because of the developmental trajectory they follow which means that HOW children learn (The Characteristics of Effective Learning) are the foundation from which they begin to learn and understand the knowledge of the Areas of Learning (programmes of education). It is not just a combination of knowledge and skills it also includes dispositions as a developing learner.
This also means that IMPLEMENTATION is through a play based approach as described in Ofsted’s Balancing Play Thematic Review and also the Ofsted Definition of Teaching.
Both inspection documents for the EYFS should reflect this
Ofsted have always said that they will not tell settings/schools how to teach or what to teach (the EYFS and the National Curriculum as statutory duties do this). E.g. “We are not prescribing what schools should do - but what the leadership intends for the curriculum and what you want to achieve. It’s about the whole breadth of the curriculum not just maths and English” (Lee Owston 10.1.18. The problem is that Ofsted are doing this very thing through the following;
IMPACT/ACHIEVEMENT should be undertaken through observation of children's embedded learning (2.1 EYFS Statutory Duty). The quality of the curriculum and teaching is evident when children are observed in their child-led play as they bring together dispositions, skills and knowledge in ways of their own which show they have truly understood what has been taught
The following statement does not describe how young children learn “Progress, therefore, means knowing more (including knowing how to do more) and remembering more” there is much more to learning than this. UNDERSTANDING is essential and learning in a context which is familiar, first hand and as concrete as possible supports progress. Knowledge is a part of this - in the context - but it needs to be situated in the child's context and taught in appropriate ways for their developmental range 0-5 +
It is heartening to see that Ofsted recognises the different approaches to the curriculum BUT how will this be interpreted into practice by Ofsted Inspectors?
HOWEVER: The Ofsted Films e.g. Vocabulary and Reading and Early Reading are already showing a perceived view of the EYFS curriculum and giving determined messages about what should be taught and how it should be taught. Is this the remit of Ofsted? The message from Ofsted has always been ‘we will not tell you how to teach or what to teach’. Has this changed??
It does state in the consultation document that “We recognise and support the importance of providers’ freedom to choose their own curriculum approaches within the appropriate legal parameters" This includes the EYFS.
However – there are many mixed messages and inconsistencies in Ofsted’s role. On one hand Ofsted reiterate this ‘neutrality’ in their presentations and documentation BUT the production of a series of films on Utube; conferences and training which have pushed phonics, vocabulary, reading and comprehension including supporting Read, Write Inc are giving strong messages about curriculum expectations and what should be taught. This is blurring the lines of Ofsted’s remit as an inspection and regulatory body which “reports directly to Parliament and is both independent and impartial”
The role of Ofsted needs clarifying with the introduction of the 2019 Framework so that there is a clear and transparent understanding across the sectors otherwise this will lead to a confused and distorted interpretation of the EYFS curriculum
Proposal 2
We propose to judge ‘personal development’ separately from ‘behaviour and attitudes’ to enhance the inspection focus on each and enable clearer reporting on both. This approach recognises the very different elements in focus. We believe that the behaviour and the attitudes learners of all ages bring to learning is best evaluated and judged separately from the provision made to promote learners’ wider personal development, character and resilience.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposed separation of inspection judgements about learners’ personal development and learners’ behaviour and attitudes?
This may be an appropriate separation for older children but for younger children it is complicated; the reason being that behaviour and attitudes are all connected to personal, social and emotional development. Which is why I have selected strongly disagree
Referring to the EIF for Sections 49 and 50 in the EYFS there are some very confusing mixed messages in this section;
Whilst they could be described as behaviours they are NOT about behaviour in terms of rules, social norms or compliance which are very different. This is a misunderstanding of the C of EL which will have a huge impact on how they are currently understood and embedded into high quality practice e.g. the links with sustained shared thinking, mastery and mathematics
References to motivation, collaboration and self-regulation are linked to the C of EL but again are a much broader part of children’s development than just behaviour especially when it is described as ‘behaviour and conduct’, ‘developing a sense of right and wrong’ and ‘responding promptly to requests and instructions from practitioners’ (p.35)
Personal Development (p.36) is separated from social and emotional development which for young children is all connected.
The previous version of Personal development, behaviour and welfare is a much stronger, informed and developmentally appropriate descriptor – it also makes reference to children’s emotional development, well-being and welfare which is lacking in the revised version
We want to ensure that the education inspection framework 2019 judgements (see section above and para 131 in the EY handbook]) are appropriate for the range of early years settings.
To what extent do you agree or disagree that the judgements will work well for:
Referring back to my response to Proposal 1 – I am confused by the way Ofsted have interpreted the following;
The quality of education (educational programmes)
How do Ofsted’s proposals re the 7 Areas of Learning fit in light of the DfE’s proposals to reduce the educational programmes especially shapes, space and measures and technology? This will significantly narrow the curriculum not broaden it as Ofsted have stated is one of their key aims in the EIF
This needs to be much clearer and less confusing for everyone working in the EYFS – which is why I have had to select Strongly Disagree
Looking at the EYIF – Sections 49 and 50 I have the following comments and questions;
It is good to see that the definition of teaching remains (p.32, 33) though why does this have to be in the footer?? It is an important interpretation of teaching and also IMPLEMENTATION
Proposal 6
The recent Teacher Workload Advisory Group report[1] noted that ‘time associated with data collection and analysis… is most frequently cited as the most wasteful due to a lack of clarity amongst teachers as to its purpose’.
Ofsted is committed to ensuring that our inspection work does not create unnecessary work for teachers, and as such we propose that inspectors will not use schools’ internal performance data for current pupils as evidence during an inspection. This is because:
Inspectors will, however, ask schools to explain why they have decided to collect whatever assessment information they collect, what they are drawing from this information and how that informs their curriculum and teaching. We believe that this will help to reduce unnecessary workload for teachers; we do not believe that it will have a negative effect on our ability to judge effectively the quality of education in a school.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with our proposal not to look at non-statutory internal progress and attainment data and our reasons why?
The current Ofsted Inspection Framework for the EYFS (Section 49 & 50) is helpful in the way it focusses on professional dialogue to show children’s progress;
Quality of teaching and learning – gathering the ‘evidence’;
Mapping/Tracking progress is important as it shows the developmental journey of the child. This should be drawn from observations and other formative types of assessments e.g. paintings, drawing, writing, construction play etc. BUT not from tick lists via IPads or photocopied versions of Development Matters.
Teachers/practitioners should be able to tell the ‘child’s developmental story’ from their starting points and talk about it in an informed way; discussing their thinking and being clear about what child needs to support them in their next steps.
Changing the focus from assessment for accountability which has led to the current data driven, workload situation to Assessment for learning which looks at the quality of teaching and learning and how this impacts on children’s progress using professionally informed judgements.
Feedback from Head Teachers, teachers, practitioners etc about moving away from data driven paper work is positive and a relief however there was considerable scepticism about if this would actually happen, with ‘rogue’ Ofsted Inspectors wanting to see the data – in which case Heads said they would have to do it just in case!
A question: How will this changing view of data by Ofsted sit alongside the introduction of Baseline Assessment and changes to the ELGs and the EYFSP – which, if the proposal goes ahead, will become non-statutory??? Again there is a great confusion and mixed messages across the sector.
Di Chilvers
WatchMeGrow – 5th April 2019
In 1978, as part of my NNEB training I wrote about Aiden who was at Nursery School, he would have been about 54 months old and was the focus of my observational child study. This is what I observed about him;
Aiden has developed an interest in woodwork and is very good at it; he can hammer nails in very well without any assistance. Aiden tries to do things before he will ask anyone to help him and he found that he didn’t really need any help doing woodwork.
I was also fascinated by the way he wrote his name,
“I asked him to write his name for me recently and he did it without any assistance which he couldn’t do before, but for some reason he wrote it backwards which is quite unusual. He is left handed and he started from the left hand side of the paper and worked inwards”
Aiden was showing me what a competent, capable and independent thinker and learner he was; following his ideas and interests as he persisted and deepened his skills in woodwork and writing. I was involved in what we would now call ‘Responsible Pedagogy’ (EYFSP, 2017, p.11) observing Aiden in a context where he is able to “demonstrate his understanding, learning and development”. These are the observations we need to undertake as they are “the most reliable way of building up an accurate picture of children’s development and learning” (EYFSP, 2017, p.11).
Reflecting back on these observations from 40 year ago I still get excited by observing children and seeing their development, thinking and learning unfolding in front of me. I didn’t realise at the time just how important it was to tune into children’s ideas and interests and question why and how they did certain things in their play and activities. I was learning to become an observer of children and an under-stander of child development as that was at the root of my role working with young children in schools and nurseries. I was using “observational assessment to understand children’s learning” (EYFSP, 2017, p.11).
In 2018 observation is still fundamental to those who work with young children (0-7yrs). Effective teachers/practitioners tune into children’s development, language and thinking through their observations and then use this to extend their understanding and learning. The EYFS Statutory Framework (2017, 2.1) states observation is an ‘integral part of learning and development’ (p. 13) and the Ofsted Early years inspection handbook, Good grade descriptor for teaching, learning and assessment, describes the process as adults…
Observe carefully, question skilfully and listen perceptively to children during activities in order to re-shape activities and give children explanations that improve their learning (2015, 150068, p.39)
Observation is a statutory duty
Despite becoming a Statutory Duty in observation as a pedagogical process of recognising, valuing, understanding and assessing children’s development and progress has become increasingly marginalised over the last few years in the polarised world of assessment. The use of skilled observation as part of the assessment process in the Early Years Foundation Stage has become politicised and misunderstood by many including teachers, head teachers and policy makers who seek to reduce a critical professional and pedagogical approach to quick, superficial binary tests which tell us little about young children’s deeper levels of thinking and learning (Whitebread 2012, Siraj-Blatchford 2002). Not only does this undervalue the potential of children’s development it lowers adults’ aspirations for children and depresses the progress and achievement children can potentially make.
The Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (2010) recognised the value of observation and its fundamental role in exemplary early years practice;
Observational assessment is integral to effective early years provision. The evidence clearly shows this type of assessment lies at the heart of providing a supporting and stimulating environment for every child (p.30)
And made a recommendation that;
..guidance simply sets out that assessment should be based primarily on the observation of daily activities that illustrate children’s embedded learning (p.35)
At the same time Tickell (2010) made a strong recommendation for initial training and continuing professional development to ensure an ‘up to date knowledge of child development’ and a ‘defining standard and status for expert practitioners’ with an ‘emphasis on practical application, theoretical understanding and reflective practice’ (p.46). Since then several other reviews (Nutbrown 2012, Early Years Workforce Strategy 2017, SEED 2017) have made similar mandates.
The Study of Early Education and Development: Good Practice in Early Education (SEED, 2017) a report commissioned by the DfE, has also identified observational approaches as central to exemplary early years practice in all sectors (including schools) and as an indicator of high quality which has underpinned children’s progress. Other indicators include;
Observation – A professional approach
Observation, knowing when to observe and describing what we see (verbally and in documentation) and then interpreting what we have seen is a professional skill which is fundamental to teaching and learning. Just as doctors need to diagnose their patients’, teachers/practitioners need to look at the evidence and make decisions about how to support children’s development. Mary Jane Drummond articulates this in a more respectful child-centred way in the following;
When we work with young children, when we play and talk with them, when we watch them and everything they do, we are witnessing a fascinating and inspiring process: we are seeing young children learn. As we think about what we see, and try to understand it, we have embarked on the process that I call ‘assessment’. I am using the term to describe the ways in which, in our everyday practice, we observe children’s learning, strive to understand it, and then put our understanding to good use. (Drummond.MJ, 1993, p13)
It was from Drummond’s description of the observation process that the exceptional assessment practices in New Zealand were developed, using narrative Learning Stories and looking deeply into children’s development and how they learn. I saw this first hand during a study visit to New Zealand early years centres in 2014 and wrote in my BLOG ‘What strikes me is the level of knowledge and understanding of the practitioners – they know their child development and can articulate what they see children doing very well’ (See Happy Children at https://watchmegrow.uk/2014/02/happy-children/).
Grenier (2018) talks about ‘keen observation’ as practitioners get to know their children and ‘notice what is important about their development and learning’. He also makes a crucial point here about ensuring that there is a ‘rich learning environment and a rich curriculum’ to ensure that there is much for practitioners to notice about ‘ what children know and can do, how they think and develop their ideas, and what sort of misconceptions and barriers to learning they may have’ (p.14).
The National Strategies (2004-2011) saw observation at the heart of professional practice and documented this in many of their publications including Progress Matters – Reviewing and enhancing young children’s development (2009) where they stated that,
Observation is an integral part of professional interactions with children, and is identified in the EYFS as a key to effective practice. Early years practitioners need to know their children well and record, where appropriate, their observations in quick notes or lively narratives (p.6)
Alison Peacock (Chief Executive of the Chartered College) at a recent conference (Jan 2018) spoke about ‘Professional learning without Limits’ and the importance of teachers and practitioners having ‘pedagogical conversations’ about their children.
She described an observation of Mary who refused to engage in any mark making activities for the first six months in her reception class until one day, when she was fully settled and happy, drew this picture (Peacock.A 2016). Mary saw her world differently through her drawings and was clearly happy and clearly a creative mark maker.
Peacock called this ‘research based pedagogy’ where teachers/practitioners make opportunities to ’really deeply’ look at what is ‘going on’ in their settings including ‘observation of children and talking about their thinking’. The observation process or cycle actually follows a research based approach through gathering the qualitative evidence of children’s engagement in their play and activities, interpreting or analysing the evidence and then drawing conclusions about what might happen as a result. This is research that is grounded in practice with the whole experience of observation actually deepening teacher/practitioner knowledge and skills in a cycle of continual professional development. Observing children is one of the best ways to fine tune your knowledge of child development and how they think and learn.
A professional approach – the challenges
Observation is not without its challenges, which have been many, including a reductionist view of children’s development through simplistic and superficial proposals for baseline assessment at the start of the Reception year. These types of assessment, which do not involve observing children in the context they are most familiar with and acknowledging them as experts in their own field of play, are often quick fixes for Government accountability and are increasingly taking over professionally informed insights of what young children are actually capable of thinking about and learning.
Ofsted have also contributed to the undermining of professional observation practices in their recent report called Bold Beginnings Report (2017) by contradicting the Standards and Testing Agency’s Early Years Foundation Stage Profile handbook (2017) which states “Practitioners need to observe learning which children have initiated rather than only focusing on what children do when prompted” (p.17). Ofsted has suggested that;
The majority of teachers did not agree that observational assessment was the most reliable form of assessment as stated in the EYFSP handbook. They felt that statements such as the one above lessened the importance of assessment as part of teaching (Ofsted 2017. P26)
This statement also contradicts the EYFS Statutory Framework (2.1) and findings from major reviews and research quoted at the beginning of this paper.
Interestingly the Bold Beginnings report also states “Many teachers commented that assessment, undertaken as they were teaching, allowed them to adjust their activity in the moment” (Ofsted 2017, p.26), however, in order to do this ‘adjusting in the moment’ teachers/practitioners will be intuitively ‘observing in the moment’ and making informed decisions about how to support and extend children’s development and learning. It’s called good teaching and is responding to child-led thinking and learning which frequently leads to episodes of sustained shared thinking (Siraj – Blatchford 2002). This is sophisticated observation at a skilled professional level – it is hard to teach effectively without it. It develops with experience, practice and a good knowledge of child development which forms part of teachers and practitioner’s observation tool kits.
The Observation Tool Kit[1]
The Observation Tool Kit is a virtual representation of the knowledge, skills and experience needed to make accurate, objective and insightful observations of children. It is a metaphor for all the inherent professional skills that are used when we observe children, strive to understand what we see and put that understanding to good use.
As the Tool Kit develops the more skilful teachers and practitioners will become at making informed professional judgements about children’s development and progress. It is a critical part of early years professional practice and should begin, in initial training on the complex development of young children and How they learn. It develops further through observing children and documenting what you see; supported by reflective practice, opportunities to share and discuss what has been seen and keeping an open-mind; it strengthens (triangulates) the judgements you make about children’s progress.
The Tool Kit includes;
A good knowledge of child development - the more you know and understand about children’s development the more informed your evaluation and decisions about progress and next steps
The characteristics of effective learning – understanding HOW children learn helps you to see WHAT they are learning and HOW they are thinking. They include many dispositions and skills which underpin life-long learning. Recognising these as you observe children reveals their attitudes to learning, including personal, social and emotional development
Development of Speech, language and communication – having a good understanding of language development and its relationship to cognitive and social/emotional development
Levels of Involvement and Well-Being – the Leuven Involvement and Well-being Scales give practitioners/teachers crucial insights into children’s development, learning and progress
Sustained Shared Thinking – is mainly observed in child-initiated/led play between children and with adults. As we observe SST we can see many aspects of children’s deeper levels of thinking, communication and talking. It is made up of many crucial aspects of children’s development including cognitive self-regulation.
Children’s Schema; threads of thinking – understanding children’s schematic development from birth will support the interpretation of children’s play, thinking and development; including the links between schematic development and early concept formation
Child-led Play: knowing children’s interests and fascinations – child-led play, activities and interests are the window into children’s thinking, development and learning. The more we observe and understand the clearer the insight into the child’s world, development and progress
SEND – developing an understanding of SEND and early intervention. Supporting the child and family through being informed, aware and documenting progress – taking small steps
English as an additional language (EAL) - Do you know the home language of your children and families? Observing and listening to children’s first language helps you to understand and become more confident in your interactions with them.
Working together with parents and other partners - Having a broader insight of the child’s world, their family, culture, home and community will help you to see the child’s development in context.
Using the Observation Tool Kit means that practitioners/teachers draw on and think about many other aspects of children’s development, not just Development Matters, which only gives the thinnest slice of children’s developmental potential. As Nancy Stewart (2016) points out “The statements in Development Matters are common examples of how children might develop and give a general picture of progression, but they are by no means the whole story”. She goes on to say “We need to be thinking for ourselves as we decide what is important in a situation, and in deciding what comes next. It requires both judgement and creativity, and is not as simple as following a set of instructions”.
Building a professional Tool Kit takes time but the more practitioners/teachers know about children’s development and learning the stronger their practice will become. In developing these observation and assessment skills they will be more informed, confident and accurate in articulating the holistic developmental progress of young children. Above all we need to make assessment for learning work for children and bring the joy back into observing them as they play, talk, think and learn.
References:
Callanan.M et al (Jan 2017) Study of Early Education and Development: Good Practice in Early Education (SEED), Research Report, DfE
Chilvers. D (2014) Happy Children, accessed via the WatchMeGrow Blog at https://watchmegrow.uk/2014/02/happy-children/
DCFS (2009) Progress Matters – Reviewing and enhancing young children’s development, https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/progress-matters.pdf
Department for Education (March 2017) Early Years Workforce Strategy
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy
Drummond. MJ (1993) Assessing Children’s Learning, David Fulton
Grenier.J, Finch.S and Vollans.C (2018) Celebrating Children’s Learning, David Fulton
Ofsted (August 2015, 150068), Early Years Inspection Handbook
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-from-september-2015
Nutbrown, C (June 2012) FOUNDATIONS FOR QUALITY The independent review of early education and childcare qualifications Final Report (Nutbrown Review), DFE
Peacock.A (2016) Assessment for Learning without Limits, Open University Press
Siraj-Blatchford,I et al (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY), DFES and the Institute of Education. Research Report 356
Standards and Testing Agency (2016) EYFSP Handbook 2017, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/564249/2017_EYFSP_handbook_v1.1.pdf
Stewart.N (May 2016) Development Matters: A landscape of possibilities, not a roadmap, https://eyfs.info/articles.html/teaching-and-learning/development-matters-a-landscape-of-possibilities-not-a-roadmap-r205/
Whitebread. D (2012) Developmental Psychology on Early Childhood Education, Sage
[1] The Observation and Assessment Tool Kit© self-assessment is being developed by Di Chilvers as part of the Development Map
