CM's - inspection due next week help! Planning? Please help

[kayleighj]

I'm going through every thing that I have in place and I thought that I was doing ok except for RA's. However the more I lookin to it the more I am panicing!

Planning...
How much planning needs to be done?

Do you have to have short, medium and long term planning? Do you have to show all the planning?

I do lots of activities but usually just plan it in my head as i go along, depending on weather, that sort of thing.

If it is a def requirement what do I do now at such short notice?

It's not like I can just make it up as it wont match up with the daily diaries!

I do have a next steps part on my observations where i put what activities I will introduce next, but thats as far as it goes!

HELP!!!! HELP!!!! HELP!!!!!!!

Hi me again (I spend farrrr tooo long on here

If you don't have long to prep before insp, just do a quick folder for general planning (like you said the stuff you plan in your head) with the year split up into seasons / key events like x'mas, mothers / fathers day easter etc. Jot down some deas of what you would like to do with mindees, like craft, learning, trips, songs etc, if you have the time you could be fancy and link them to the learning goals but if not don't worry, the main thing with EYFS is that the planning is for the individual child. You have said in your post that you have a next steps section in your obs which is fab, just make sure that the inspector can see that you have done the next steps and link the activity with the mindee to the ob's. I find cross referencing with date and obs number the easiest way to do this. Sounds like your on the right track don't worry too much.

great. I have started a general file, in it i have planned activities and point out what parts it covers eg mark making blah blah blah but it needs alot more work done to it!

hi, im a childminder who has just had inspection a few weeks ago and got a good! eyfs planning. make sure its for the individual child and they want to see that you have observed the child and the made a plan from there (eg. child noticed a ladybird on the wall and started asking questions etc etc, links to eyfs are KUW blah blah,future planning or next steps or whatever you want to say could be to go on a bug hunt, sing some bug songs etc etc.) i left all my paperwork util week before too but you dont need to do loads. my eg could have just been written in a parent contact book or a scrap book or whatever.

just realised not sure if i actually really answered all your questions. i dont do any short, medium, long planning. i just do what i wrote above, which sounds a lot like what your already doing. i also did a more indepth observation and next steps once every 6 weeks or something (but you could pick a day out of your daily diary and make that up). also i know its a bit dishonest but if you have a lot of kids they only know about the ones you tell them about and the ones you have paperwork for. if you make sure you fill in some of your sef form you can also put that improving your eyfs paperwork is one of your improvements you want to make.

I don't do any planning as such. Just basic things like e.g. child A - observed and photographed could point out three cakes on a Maisie puzzle. Assessed Child A independently pointed to three cakes in the puzzle. Planning - Will help Child A when out and about, helping with reading number books and number rhymes etc.

I think structured planning is meant for schools i.e. babies and toddlers learn through play not planning this and planning that. I've just had my own three children to deal with this half term and any planning goes out the window! When I look back they've all turned into well-adjusted individuals (10, 13, 16) so I just say go with the flow!

that makes me feel alot better cause I think I have it covered if that is all they expect. You hear of people doing so much more and you cant help but think your missing out something very important!!
Thank you!!

I don't do much planning at all and I certainly don't write it down. Ofsted are going to 'get me' for it I know. The children tell me what they want to do 90% of the time. I extend their play and occasionally get an activity ready,or plan an outing for them.

If you're asked about planning say to the inspector 'eyfs is childled so while I have an idea of what I would like to do, it's very much subject to what the children want to do on the day, depending on their moods and the weather'. I did and all I got back was 'Oh, ok' . The planning they are looking for is the 'next steps' for the individual children.

I also kept in mind that if parents wanted a structured, formal education for their children they would have put them in nurseries, which don't have the flexibility that we have. Today, for example, have been bowling, to the park, kids now falling asleep over picnic lunch - what other childcare setting can offer that.

Agree about having 'annual' plan, monthly themes, festivals, birthdays etc - did mine 10mins before Ofsted arrived.

Don't think have ever had a job in the past which has stressed me out as much as the prospect of an Ofsted inspection did