This series will follow the three Prime Areas, with the final part reflecting on how these underpin the four Specific Areas. Each part will be threaded through with references to the overarching principles of:
- The Unique Child
- Positive Relationships
- Enabling Environment
- Learning and Development.
The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning will also be an integral part as these are also key to effective and informed observations.
CRUCIAL TOOL
Since the introduction of the revised Statutory Framework, and its trial during the ‘early adopters’ phase, there has been much discussion about ‘observations’. There is a common misconception that there is no longer any need to do them. What has actually happened is a renewed emphasis on the, long pre-existing, statement about there being no need to do excessive paperwork but to only do what is necessary and useful.
Informed observations are a crucial tool of informed pedagogy across the board, starting with physical and emotional wellbeing. If we do not actively and proactively look, listen and notice, we will not be able to really understand what makes each unique child ‘tick’. Without informed observations, it becomes difficult to interrogate the situation if we are concerned that there may be a developmental need or problem that may need advice from an outside agency. It is too easy to make assumptions.
Throughout each part of this series I use the word ‘teacher’ to refer to all adults across the sector who work with children in the early years. This is because, no matter what qualification or background we have, as soon as the children are with us, we are teaching them.
PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Since the upsetting times of the national pandemic and lockdown weeks, there has been a very broad assumption that life in education settings has gone back to how it was before. The press is full of comments about how much ‘learning’ has been ‘lost’, ‘gaps’ of learning that need to be filled, and how far children are ‘behind’ in communication skills. Social media is full of teachers across the sector concerned that their children cannot sit still and listen, or that they are not able to use resources appropriately or keep them tidy.
The point that is missing is that, for the last two years, life has not been the same, anywhere in the world. And it still remains unsettled as the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine make an impact on families. In this way, children of all ages have had experiences that are different from those of previous years.
Our youngest children may well have been born during lockdown, and all of them will have experienced the effects of it. They will have been aware of this in varying degrees depending on their stage of development. All this will have made an impact, as it has on us all in many ways.
The impact of an event are not always obvious, immediate or grown out of. They may be positive or negative and affect us in different ways. As adults we have developed coping mechanisms which we can draw on to a greater or lesser extent. In the EYFS, our children are a maximum of 60 months old, and have not had a chance to develop these life skills.
As knowledgeable, listening, noticing adults it is our role to observe and learn what is needed to support each child. Otherwise we are in danger of making assumptions, such as those above, which decide that a child is in some way ‘misbehaving’, or maybe even has a special need when this may very well not be the case.
A ROUNDED PICTURE
The case study (see box) is largely drawn from things I have seen over the years, but I have slightly added to it to create discussion. This little boy could be developmentally at a huge range of stages across all the Prime Areas. While the revised Statutory Framework no longer has the same strands for PSED, it is important that we still focus on what Personal, Social and Emotional Development really includes and how stages of development look across it. It is helpful to consider:
- Making relationships
- Sense of self
- Understanding emotions (Birth to 5 Matters).
As these will give a rounded and informed picture of who a child really is. This might be a very independent little boy who is used to helping his mum with the baby, because during lockdown they haven’t been able to get out much. He may very well have been involved in cooking meals for the family and lots of adult conversations and decision-making. In the totally new environment of playgroup, he will be a different person, may even be judged as having a behaviour or special need.
It is our professional duty to observe, notice and listen proactively in order to decide what to do.
BROADER VIEW
The aim of this four-part series is to challenge assumptions by using informed observations to really understand the stage of development for each unique child. This is not about chronological age.
Unfortunately some documents lead us into an artificial idea of ‘age related expectations (ARE)’. We need to be very wary of this, and instead take a broader view of child development; for this I would recommend using the Ranges in Birth to 5 Matters as they give an informed range of what is possible across a stage rather than by an age.
CASE STUDY: getting settled
Below is a case study for reflection. At the end there will be some questions to reflect on.
It was the little boy's first day at playgroup. He arrived with his mum, who was carrying his baby brother. The little boy is three, and the baby had been born during lockdown. The first language of the family is Urdu.
Both the little boy and his Mum looked tired and stressed; the baby was crying. A member of the team welcomed the family, took a few details to add to the form that the mum had previously submitted and they both watched as the little boy played with some wooden blocks that were nearby. He was watching them as he played.
It was suggested to mum that she called goodbye and left as her son was ‘busy’. As soon as he saw what was going on, the little boy moved forward to hold onto his mum's leg as she walked out of the door. The baby was still crying. The playgroup teacher scooped up the little boy and his mum left. Once Mum had gone, the little boy was very upset. He hadn’t yet taken off his coat, and he wouldn’t let any of the team do it. He had been assigned a key person who started to try to interest him in the blocks again, but he started to wander around the room picking things up and putting them down.
His key person followed him for a while, with the aim of engaging him with everything he picked up, but she soon got called away and he was left to roam.
Then it was snack time. His key person sat at a table with the rest of her group. There were no spaces left for him, and he was still roaming and still wearing his coat. To begin with he hadn’t taken in what was going on as he spoke mostly Urdu, but then he noticed his key person as someone he could identify, and she was sitting down. He also noticed that there was no more room at her table, so he walked across to a spare chair and dragged it over, placing it next to her. As there wasn’t enough room he was told, via pointing, to put it back and wait for a space.
He put the chair back and resumed wandering, never did take his coat off, and didn’t get a snack until much later.
Questions
- What did you notice?
- What had the last few months/ years been like for that child? And the family?
- Why do you think the child behaved that way?
- Why did the adult do what they did?
- What would you have done?
- What do you understand to be the role of the key person?
- How could this whole situation have been managed differently?
- How many rules and routines in your setting are for the adults’ convenience?
- How will the team in the study be able to establish whether the child needs extra support?
- How can the family be supported?
NURSERY WORLD SHOW 2023
Don’t miss Sue Allingham's seminar on Saturday, 4 February. Entitled ‘Why am I here? Supporting transitions in early years’, it will cover an understanding of transitions emotionally and physically along with ideas to reviewthe environment to ease change and transition.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Part 2 will focus on Communication and Language. The article will also contain a case study, and will start to develop ideas that can be shared with families, and home learning.
Dr Sue Allingham is an author and early years trainer. Visit her consultancy Early Years Out of the Box at https://eyoutofthebox.com
