Learning journals - would you use them if you didn't have to?

[longdiling]

I know you have to do them in England (don't you?!). Here in Wales there is no requirement to use them or to log achieved outcomes of our equivalent of EYFS or anything like that. Therefore I've never bothered with them.

I've recently found a Welsh Childminder's Group on Facebook which is proving to be a great resource but loads of people on there are talking about Learning Journals and recording outcomes etc etc which has really surprised me. I'm scared to admit on there under my real name that I don't do it! So, I'm asking you guys, would you do this extra paperwork if you didn't have to?

I communicate well with my parents using a communication diary. We do loads of fun, stimulating stuff, I just don't plan it or record it around a structured curriculum. Parents are happy. Inspectors have always been happy (and we don't get rated good/outstanding or whatever anyway). What would be the value in doing it do you think?

I lived in Wales until fairly recently and had never heard of them until I moved to England so I don't think many Welsh providers do them.

I'm a nanny and was required by the College I attended to do one for my charge in my first year. I asked my employer if she wanted me to continue in my second year and she said yes because she loved it!

I have also found it useful when there have been developmental queries from his nursery to have something to compare him to.

In short, I probably would do them but it is massively time consuming for even just one child so would probably find the simplest method possible!

No, you don't have to use them.

What you have to do is to demonstrate that you know where the child is developmentally and what you are doing to move them on to the next steps.

Many settings find learning journeys the easiest way of doing this, but they certainly aren't compulsory.

Thanks Tanith, that's a far simpler and less intimidating explanation. I'm going to find a basic way of doing it I think.

My childminder does a very minimal version of a learning journal (compared to nurseries anyway!) - once a month or so she'll take a photo of DC doing something they are interested in, write a couple of lines about it and what she's going to do next e.g. "Here is Alice climbing on the sofa at home. She really loves climbing at the moment and mum says she enjoys going to softplay and trying to climb up the slide. Next -> trip to the park to use the climbing frame"
Ofsted was happy with this as both planning and assessment.