* long-term plans, which chart the learning opportunities that will be offered through continuous and permanent provision
* medium-term plans, which cover the enhancements that will be made to the permanent provision over the next two to six weeks
* short-term plans, which cover how to respond to an individual child's interests or needs over the next few days.
Settings have tended to focus on medium-term plans (often based around topics) at the expense of short-term planning. This series aims to illustrate the importance of short-term planning in furthering children's learning by taking practitioners through the key steps involved in identifying and responding to a child's current interests or needs.
Good practice points
* Value the role of observation in the assessment and planning process and make ample time within the framework of your day to observe and plan.
* Recognise that children's learning takes place not only within the setting. Share information with parents and carers to help identify and address a child's needs.
* Be prepared to abandon or postpone plans in order to respond immediately to an observed interest or need.
* Be aware that while a focus may be planned in response to an individual child's needs or interests, the activity will probably motivate several children in the setting. Consider, therefore, how all children can access learning at their own stage of development and build on what they already know and understand.
* Be aware that planning a child's 'next steps' may mean 'moving forward', but often children need to be offered experiences at a similar level, with a similar objective in different contexts, for their understanding to become firmly embedded.
* Ensure all learning experiences are rooted in a meaningful context.
* Always evaluate plans so that you can analyse children's responses and highlight any implications for future planning.
* Although formats for short-term focus planning may vary in appearance and organisation, they should include key elements as demonstrated in the series.
