CM Club: EYFS in Practice Evidence File - what are your thoughts? - trying to get my head round all this EYFS and need help getting a system in place! :-(

[looneytune]

I've seen the link to this several times recently and I've seen mixed messages about whether or not it's worth buying.

I'll be totally honest, I love my job, do what is required with EYFS but never recorded formally before. I've just done written daily diaries and had chats at drop off/pick up time.

I had a baby in mid June and started back on 1st September when all this EYFS started. I'm now finding my whole life falling to pieces due to me constantly working (note, I'm not solidly working, just spent the WHOLE weekend trying to get to grips with things but not easy with 2 kids around, especially a 5 month old who keeps needing me!).

My big plan is to get everything clear in my head, work out a system and then sort my life out so I have a balance because atm, I just don't have time for my kids and it's making me very sad. One of the reasons for childminding was so I could also be there for my own kids, now they are getting less attention than if I went out to work and had a childminder myself!!!

I'm skint BUT if this Evidence File is worth getting then I'll pay it - I'll do anything to help get things clear in my head! At the moment it's all post it notes shoved in files.

I love my job, love the families I work with but this is starting to get me down so much that if I could afford to, I think I'd quit. I know part of my problem is lack of help to have time away from the kids to sort it. I've tried and tried to do it in the evenings but I'm so tired once I've tidied, cleaned and put the kids to bed (I have either 3 or 4 children under 2 yrs old each day!!), I'm no good for anything!

Please help me get a system in place. If you have this file or have seen it, can you please give me your thoughts?

Thanks (and sorry it turned into a bit of a sob story wasn't meant to - think I'm feeling worse today as caught sick bug from mindee and then my own baby was up all night)

HELP!!! Please xx

Looney I haven't bought it

I am making it up as I go along

I would like to hear from someone who is using it

What council do you fall under? Surrey County council have devised Learning Journeys for us to use and it is probably (only a guess) much like the Evidence File you refer to you.

Some people do not like it, but I have decided to use it rather than reinvent the wheel. If you are in Surrey the Learning Journeys are freely available to you.

How about calling your Early Years and see what they have to offer if anything? And of course there is the Bromley CM Assoc website that might have this too - don't know if they do but they have SO much useful stuff it would not surprise me if they had this too.

No4 - I'm in Berkshire, under Wokingham District Council and yes, they did very good files for us with stuff like that but I'm struggling with how to actually put it all together/document it. Maybe I need to have another look through but to me, it didn't give me everything I needed to do the linking to etc (well, how to document that anyway). I did a 3 part EYFS course but it was around May time (had to get in before I had my baby) and I think the more recent courses sound better.

Will try and have another look tonight but still interested in hearing what people think of the other file

I ordered this a couple of days ago, it should be here tomorrow - will post my thoughts when I look through it. I spoke to the lady who runs the business after I ordered it and she talked me through the contents - it sounds like it simplifies the whole process and takes a lot of the paperwork away! I think a lot of cms - like me - have been doing too much and losing too much sleep over EYFS, though i have my inspection due and am absolutely bricking it cos the inspectors round here are picking up on anything and everything, even though they say we don't have to have reams of paperwork and documentation

looneytune, can you leave your email so I can contact you?

cmnorth - thanks

berkschick - yeah, it's info at helenslittleangels dot co dot uk

LT - same here, I just can't get my head around it. If you get anything useful could you keep me in the loop? I just can't do it with a 3 year old and a 6 month old, just no time and I am seriously thinking I won't be able to start in January - it's a nightmare, and I can't even imagine how you are coping with it all.

Anyway, if you could keep me in the loop, would so appreciate it.. carrierace at hotmail dot com

Will do hun, really wish I'd done in the evenings before I started working again but the 9 weeks after having him just flew by. I really struggled starting back so early with my own baby being so needy due to his problems at the beginning, found having all the little people back very hard. Then got past all that and even took a 4th under 2 and tbh, I'm fine with all that until I start thinking about paperwork - what risk assessments I haven't got, the fact my fire drills aren't recorded on paper, how to do all this linking etc. What doesn't help is that I've done loads of work on policies and procedures (with help from the lovely shoshe) and can't even print them as the colour is all wrong on my printer so all the pics etc. look terrible ARRGGHHHHH

Anyway, yes, will keep you in the loop! Hope you are doing well and if you can survive with more time off, I'd do that as they are only little for a short time and I feel I've already missed out on my baby growing up yet he's with me all the time (but just gets put in a corner etc. whilst I sort everyone else out!).

You know you are being very hard on yourself! It's hard enough to do it all with a new one plus working, plus this stuff. I think B&W pics are probably enough, even for now just for you to get a handle on things?

Try not to be so hard on yourself, it's the trying to please everyone, but pleasing no one scenario isn't it?

hi guys i dont know if this is any help i had ny inspection on monday and i my self was brikin it about all this efs stuff and profiles but the in spector was great she said a spider graph was a good idea about once a month for structured ideas as u can cover all the areas ie p.s.e.d.and cd she said like autumn a walk coverd phyisical ,leaf rubbings covered creative ,talking about the leafs falling off and being with other children was social ,development and the next step would be maybe sticking the leaves doen and making a tree or doing about winter she also said just make sure u r covering one different area each time u do a new activity same for your obbservasions she told me to make mine simpler as long as u have what they have done ,which arers off development u have coverd ie cd,psed... and the next step thats all u need and a few pics ..but she also said that planning in yr head was just as good too ..as i have an album with stuff we do together that showed em that i was planning on the moment sorry its so long one more thing is use sticky lable for yr obbs as u can stick em on yr top and move them when finished .i was so glad once i spoke to her ...

This file came today and when I first opened it I was totally like 'oh my god, am more confused than ever' HOWEVER, once I sat down and went through it properly - IT'S FAB!!! it covers every aspect of the welfare requirements, tells you where to link them into your evidence and policies and I can't wait to start going through it and adapting it to my setting. There is loads of info that you won't get from a training course - it's obvious it's been written by childminders FOR childminders!!! It isn't cheap, but I think for anyone splashing around in the Atlantic Ocean without a compass to show the way to get there (like me and other minders I know)it is money well spent - and it can go into your expenses.

LT - think I've started to wrap my head around this, the BCMA site is an absolute wonder.

From what I understand (har har) we can have for each child:

Daily diary, and probably with a zip folder to send home work in

Folder with: observations (see this page www.bromleycma.org.uk/eyfs/observations.html and a Learning Story.

So if you see these docs:

Examples of Learning Journey observation style:

www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/resources/downloads/learning-journeys-tpl.doc and examples of Learning Journeys on teachernet here: www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=11325

OR you could do weekly obs as in this example by bcma:

www.bromleycma.org.uk/eyfs/W_o_clouds_obssheet_sample.doc and here: www.bromleycma.org.uk/eyfs/W_o_c_6_sample.doc

Now, as for planning, I have some docs to send you. On their way

Ok, I am unable to find your email! is it info at helensangels dot co dot uk?

Nevermind, I found it and emailed you! I was up to 2 am doing/researching all this stuff. Nightmare

Oh, plus all the risk assessments, visitors log, complaints folder, and daily check lists! I have all these if you need them

Katy, can you double check this?

? [festive confused face]

Can you check what I am thinking? All excited that I might have this sorted... or not

So you have the diary
& a folder with obs

Where is your planning is that in the obs folder?

& how about evaluation?

I'm being dim today - doing OU work & I feel a bit 'dippy' with all the structured learning about me

I was going to do planning in a separate folder, Long term, medium term and short term with a spider gram on the different areas.

So a monthly theme, with song/book list, craft, colours working on, numbers etc same as I used to. Then follow it with the spider gram linking the theme and activities to the different areas. The evaluation following that - as well as in the childs folder, as a Learning Journey and Learning story (as this is supposedly child led! ha)

Or do I have it wrong?

So:

Folder for each child plus a daily diary - with examples of work (Learning Story) and Learning Journey/Obs sheets with pictures.

Folder with planning as described

Folder with policies and procedures

NCMA folder with permissions

Blimey - enough paperwork!

But shouldn't the plans be led by the child - so a different plan for each child (or am I over complicating?)

So my plan might be

Child A Age 3 - do threading - sequening & counting
Child B Age 2 - do threading - fine motor skills
Child C Age 1 - do threading - shake the cotton reels - gross motor skills

? or not?

Although a reception teacher is going to struggle doing 30 individual daily/weekly plans for 30 children