Management Round Table: the perils of paperwork

Manager’s dilemma:

Despite trying to cut down on paperwork we find there is still a lot of it. Where should our priorities lie and is it reasonable to expect staff to take paperwork home with them?

Sian Nesbitt – Dizzy Ducks

‘Planning, observation and evaluation all require detailed paperwork. We are required to document children’s progress in the form of their Learning Journeys and we also provide parents with written "Daily Sheets" each day. The paperwork required is burdensome.
My staff tend to do the daily sheets at quieter times - for example when the children are sat down for a snack one of them may take some time to fill the sheets in. Planning and other paperwork tends to be done at sleep-times so that staff can concentrate fully on it.
In the lead-up to parents’ evenings, the pressure to ensure Learning Journeys are completed fully increases. Staff sometimes take these home with them as they find it easier to do when there are no children around. They claim time in lieu or overtime for this.  While I’m sure that we would all prefer that they didn’t have to do this, it’s difficult to avoid.'