AIBU to expect better from nursery?

[Nurseryworsery]

Name changed for this.

My DC attends nursery 5 days a week and the nursery have a private online platform for recording what they have been doing throughout the week and each entry is broadly linked to early years curriculum.

My DC has had no new entries since before Christmas and when I raised it with nursery staff I was given an explanation of DC now being on a rota system for entries and that there are more children to staff now that DC is older.

Whilst I am satisfied that DC is being looked after and is happy AIBU to expect their platform to be updated on a fortnightly basis at the very least? DC is there 5 days a week every week and the online platform as well as being linked to learning is documenting their wellbeing and milestones whilst I have to work. I wish they didn’t have to be 5 days but I am not able to change it at the moment.

We pay them over £1000 a month and whether DCs online platform is updated seems to be dependent on the member of staff with them.

So AIBU to expect more consistent communication and if your DC has a similar set up how often do you get online updates.

Thanks.

My sons nursery has a book that they put photos in and activities they’ve done. It doesn’t really get updated that much but to be honest the most important thing to me is that he is happy and settled there and always has a smile on his face when I pick him up. I would probably feel a bit differently though if he was there 5 days a week (he does 2 full days and is 3). They do send home a learning objective/target thing every few months though which shows where he is in terms of development and skills etc

@LowcaAndroidow - oh, that's hopeful!

Our nursery says it's the easiest way to show they're doing what's wanted. If things are changing, that'd be good.

They have a whole curriculum split into really weirdly wide age categories. It's absurd.

Mine is disappointing. They go through flurries of updating and then nothing for ages. They take millions of photos as they have ipads to do it but they never seem to make their way into the system. I’m a bit pissed off with my one at the moment but the lack of entries (and the odd assessments) that go with them when they do go up just irritate me.

All I really want are a few pictures and some idea of what my child has been doing all day. I don’t give a monkeys how they maps onto the framework.

I'm quite sure what this online thing is - is it like a blog? My DDs school do them for each class - but not for each individual DC. At nursery we had a communications book which was written in every morning and afternoon. Then she had a book full of photos and 'work' that we would look at once a term at the parent/teacher meetings.

Having a flurry of activity means your child's key person has finally had a chance to catch up with the uploading the observations they've been making. They will be happening all the time, but it isn't always easy to free a member of staff up to go to the computer.

The 'absurd' age ranges are set by the government. It is the EYFS Framework.
I have a nursery class in an independent school. We are expected to upload 2 observations per child per week. This can become quite repetitive.

We are expected to photograph/ video individual children and teach/ interact/ support the rest as we take video of each child. This very often interrupts the child as they realise an iPad is being thrust towards them.

We then have to upload each set of photos, offset them against the Framework, Montessori goals, and Critical Learning and describe them. This takes about 20 mins per observation. This is all done at home, in our own time.

I know where the age ranges come from, @Moonflower12

I didn't intend to offend you by calling them absurd - only to clarify to a previous poster that a lot of this really is determined by the government and not by individual nurseries. I'm sure there's a great deal of flexibility in the ways a nursery might demonstrate that it is following the curriculum, but my DD's nursery say this is the way they do it, because it's the easiest.

They're wonderful and I think nursery work is hugely undervalued and under respected. I think it is really insulting to expect people to interrupt their work to take photos and make observations that prove they're doing the 'right' thing.

Can you ask them to put something brief on the tapestry care diary?

My son has been at his nursery/preschool for 3years and ive never seen his learning journal. A quick we did xyz today at pick up time is all they've ever done and I don't see the need for anything more. My son loves it and he is progressing well that's all that matters. I do believe we have a parents evening this year so they'll probably drag the journal out then.

I work as a childminder (following the same curriculum) and there is no requirement to have this written down in any form. Even less so recently as ofsted don't want to see too much paperwork from a provider, they prefer to see real interactions etc. Personally I do use tapestry myself but mainly because it's easy and simple and I only have a small number of children to observe and I know them inside out. I can't imagine this being easy when you have potentially 10-15 key children in a nursery, I would rather theywere concentrating on keeping the children safe and stimulated.
Ofsted would only be interested in whether or not I knew the children well and were helping them towards their next steps. This can be solely in my head as long as I can articulate them to an inspector on the day.

Documenting in nursery is an absolute ballache that detracts staff from having the time to properly interact with your child. Trust them to get on with their job.

Hmmm, my nursery are required to upload an observation EVERY DAY linked to the EYFS. There’s 32 children a day in the bathroom and we get it done. I think they could do it more often op

ROOM not bathroom. Currently sat in the bathroom posting this though...

I never used a nursery for any of mine so this all sounds a bit extra to me. Learning journies and apps to record progress? These children aren't much more than babies! Why can't they just play and have fun? Sounds a but sad that they are being monitored and assessed at this level of scrutiny when they are so tiny imo.

Don't the give you a daily written book? Ours have a small book that lists meals, sleep and nappies. It also has a 'today I have enjoyed' section where they give a list of things they've been up to.

DD is 19 months so not sure if it's different but we have about 2 updates a week on Tapestry.

@thefaceofboe that's exactly what ofsted DONT want. They don't want it to be pressure on the staff member to do x amount of obs a week. It should be more natural than that.

My ds is in reception and gets at least 3 things uploaded per week. He is in a base of 65 with 3 teachers and 3 tas though so seems to be pretty good ratios. I wouldn't be happy at it not being updated since Christmas at £1000 a week though.

I would rather staff spent time with my child than writing up paperwork. If there were any issues I would want to know but really its a case of priorities.

Most of the time profiles are not updated because the manager doesn't give the key worker time out of the room to do so.

We do profiles monthly and they may only have a couple of observations depending on what the child has done.

Also your key worker may have a lot of key children, this could be a factor.

I would ask for a progress meeting to discuss "next steps". The EYFS states that there should be parental involvement and good communication.

For the people staying that on you would rather your child is looked after that have observations. I would have to say that the staff in my nursery who dont do their profiles are also the staff that sit around waiting for other people to interact with the children.

Nursery isnt just childcare where children play all day.

There is learning taking place and if observations are not done then you wouldn't be able to progress track what stage of development your child is at. It also pics up developmental delays early and can help the child get the best possible start in life.

I have been to nurseries where the children just play all day and profiles and observations are fakes. This is neglect on the part of the staff and more accidents are likely to happen.

Children also get bored if the day is not structured especially if they are the children who are there from 7.30am to 6pm 5 days a week.

There is learning taking place and if observations are not done then you wouldn't be able to progress track what stage of development your child is at.

1. You can't anyway - the difference between what you expect of a child aged 2 and a child aged 4 is so huge as to be largely meaningless.

2. You might grasp the odd clue from interacting with them at home, though?

I do get where you're coming from, and I think it's hugely useful to have professionals keeping an eye on development, and (as someone who has had worries about a child's development), I really appreciate it. And I also appreciate that nurseries aren't just free-for-all playtime.

What I don't follow is why it's helpful to tick a box telling me my child made marks on paper and is thus within the normal range for a child between 2 and 4. Our nursery is lovely and they generally tell us more useful/interesting things. But they still end up doing the tickbox, too, and I wish they didn't feel they had to.

Yabu.
What would you like them to sacrifice to stop and do admin? (For they can't do both without costs going up)
I'm a swimming teacher - I think it's bloomin silly that in a 30 min lesson, im to spend 5 mins ticking boxes so that parents can see where their kids are up to. I'd rather just use that 5 mins to teach then more skills.