CM club - do you 'Sparklebox' your setting?

[WorriedMary]

Or do you go for a more subtle approach?

I can't decide what my approach is going to be. I know there was controversy over Sparklebox and it is banned in a lot of schools.
Surestart and many other setting use a more 'natural' approach. And seem to have a less busy environment.

What display things do you have up?

And do you think Sparklebox is really necessary? Do the children benefit?

Subtle every time

I'm outstanding, too, and I made my own minimal printouts strictly when I thought they would add something to what we were already doing.

To paraphrase another poster on another thread, who is Head of IT in a school:

Sparklebox means

1. A series of boring, identical and fairly tacky classrooms.
2. No money in the IT budget because it's all used up on printer ink.
3. A very rich paedophile

To my mind, it's the mark of a new or inexperienced (and unimaginative or lazy) teacher to cover the walls with Sparklebox.

I prefer the kids' own work - and I bet OFSTED would, too.

Can I just add to this and reassure the Op?

A friend of mine was adamant she was not going to turn her home into a nursery. On the morning of her inspection, she made it crystal clear to the inspector that she was a childminder and that there were no displays and "ridiculous notices" on the walls. The only ones she had were her childminding certificate and "under protest!" the parents OFSTED notice that we have to have up.

She got an outstanding.

Why? Because she didn't need printouts all over her walls to show that she knew her children inside out and she was providing outstanding care for them.

Thanks Tanith

And thanks Panzee for a parents perspective