Schools in revolt over under-5s curriculum

[mrz]

The ISC has come out against the imposition of the EYFS in England www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article4004420.ece
openeyecampaign.wordpress.com/open-eye-petition/

I would be horrified if my child minder were having to spend time monitor and observing against these target.

my ds spent time at a child minder not just becasue I needed him to be looked after so I could work but also becasue I wanted him to be in a home like environmnet. I don't know - and waht's more, don't care about these targets - I jsut want my child to play, socialise and be happy.

I wold be happy that my child minder had the same attitude.

If I read the report right - if neough parents said that they wanted to eclude their kids from this assessment process, as is apparently their (proposed) right, then ti would make a mockery of it - or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

"didn't think to have an opinion about this I have too"

sorry, I didn't want to sound like i don't think you should have an opinion. I wanted to know whether you were a practitioner. Of course anyone can have an opinion!!

I help in a pre-school.

As SSH says, these observations are already done, it is just a case of changing the way they are recorded.

Observing the children informs what activities are done, the adults are there to extend the children's learning through play. The EYFS forces practitioners to respond to those individual children in the room and not just decide, today we will paint pictures of a car, tomorrow we'll role play being in a shop etc. It takes these decisions out of the hands of the adults and makes them into the children's choices.

I don't know about childminders.

well put clayhead

also, if anyone tries googling Early Years Foundation Stage you will find the website immediately (i am no good at doing links, sorry). Why not have a look at that first, before reading all the articles, petitions, etc. Then you can make your own minds up

This is the letter that started the Open EYE campaign-you can see the list of people who signed the letter, many being very prominent in Early Years education.
this page

SugarSkyHigh the problem for pre schools (what were previously called play groups) is that they are led by parents, many who feel the legal implications of EYFS are beyond what they wish to take on voluntarily and without the support of parents the pre schools can't exist.

Childminding isn't my area of expertise either as I am a teacher but I am listening to the concerns of those I know and also listening to the "experts" who as Abbey has pointed out are coming out firmly against the statutory nature of EYFS.

tis o.k. sugar...sorry for biting ;)

I mean, I know, I probably don't know aas much about it as others, and maybe my worries are unfounded...but well...from when my es (who is secondary school now) started pre-schooling, etc...to now, tehre have already been some changes and there seems to be mroe pressure, I would hate that to increase...

www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/

My daughter's first report from her bilingual pre-school here in Paris (which follows an enhanced French NC), when she was 3.4, had about 50 developmental milestones listed, against which she was marked either "oui" (yes, has reached milestone), "en cours d'acquisition" (on the way), "pas encore" (not yet) or nothing (because she hadn't been assessed).

I rather like it.

Actually, looking at EYFS site, I am surprised that we as parents are not requiered to be regsitered and monitored as to how we are fulflling this "curriculum"

That'll be the next step......

Not all pre-schools are led by parents - our staff took ours over and made it a limited company. Far easier than having to run a committee (which I think is fantastic in theory but the reality was very ). We have no committee run pre-schools left in our town.

It is still a member of the PLA though and the vast majority of parents didn't even notice the change.

Is the problem that parents don't want their children assessed like this, or that many childcare settings (CMs in particular) don't have the skills/experience/infrastructure to do this type of assessment?

Anna, my personal worry is, that there is already plenty of assesment going on, and that more of it would create more work,and therefore use time up that might otherwise be spend with the children, playing, etc...!
My other worry is, that when there is a curriculum it culd mean that in order to reach targets teacher will be forced to push children more...if that makes sense...I can see that already happening, tbh...

I don't think assessment is the main issue as has already been stated good practitioners will be assessing the children in their care continually (as parents do... look s/he is crawling/walking/said mum etc) or in the more formal manner in schools undertake but the lack of choice. Parents may choose to send their child to a childminder as a continuation of the "care" received at home they aren't looking for formal assessment or even a formal curriculum. A childminder I know was reprimanded by OFSTED for allowing the children she cares for AFTER school to watch TV while she cooked tea...not educational!! but surely after 6hours in school some children will want to "chill" just as adults do after a day in the "office" other parents may want a school environment but surely they should have a choice?

I think it is like the SATs-good in theory. It seems quite reasonable that the government says that by 7,11 and 14 yrs (unfortunately 6,10 and 13 for all summer birthdays)children should know certain things and the way to find out is test. However schools are judged on the results so they teach to the test because parents will think that a school with better results is a better school. Childminders will be trying to hit targets, if the baby in their charge doesn't babble it reflects on them!

These are the type of thing being commercially produced for Early years practitioners

Trackers 0?5
Area of Learning Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Focus Self-confidence and Self-esteem
= first noticed = learning, practising = mastered
Like to be looked at and approved of
Enjoy having approval
Share a laugh and a chuckle
Draw others? attention to something they are proud of
Enjoy the company of other children
Able to make choices in play
Can tell you which setting they go to, and talk
about what they do there
Comforted by touch and holding
Enjoy snuggling in for comfort
Can cope with new people/children/activities if a
familiar person is nearby
Continue to feel content when not the centre of attention.

Trackers 0?5
Area of Learning Communication, Language and Literacy
Focus Language for Communication
= first noticed = learning, practising = mastered
Use early sounds and noises as signals for you
to give attention
Eager to use words to ?tell you? things
Listen to others in a small group
Respond to simple instructions
Make simple statements/comments during play
Give simple explanations
Make a range of sounds (crying, gurgling,
babbling, squealing)
Use one or two words consistently as labels
(e.g. mama/dada)
Make up some sounds/words to mean things
Can use 10 clear words
Use single words to tell you what they want
(e.g. ?di? for ?drink?)
Use two-word utterances (e.g. ?mama car?)
Ask simple questions
Use describing words (e.g. ?big?) and
possession words (e.g. ?mine?)
Use intonation, rhythm and phrasing when talking
to you
Follow simple direction words such as in/on/under
Speak in more complex sentences

three ticks and some evidence and move onto the next point!

I think anything with "targets" will not work in practice very well...

I think the problem for me is that as I understand it it is obligatory for all early years childcare providers - so we as parents will have no opportunity to opt out unless we keep our children at home and don't send them to any form of childcare.
This seems unreasonable given that we aren't obliged to send our children to a school that follows the national curriculum - non-state schools can choose whether or not to follow it.
My DD is now in school - but before then I chose to take her one day a week to a formal playgroup (moving up to more days as she got older). But then I sent her two days a week to a child minder who specifically aims to as near as possible provide the same experience as being at home with a parent. Said minder could no doubt tick all these boxes standing on her head as she's a very well qualified early years teacher. But that's not what I think any of the parents who use her want - I needed the two days work, but wanted my child to have a very informal and home like environment.

I am glad that my DCs are well beyond that stage, I would have wanted what you want Takver.
As I understand it the childminder would, for example,have to have a pen and paper and if they hoped to do 'over', 'under' etc they would set up a situation, e.g. toy cars and bridges, and have the date and the words said. 'Speak in more complex sentences' would mean writing down a complex sentence spoken, as evidence with the date. I don't think you could just gaily tick boxes (I could be wrong here-I am guessing).Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could say?

Or they could have a video camera permanently attached or at the very least a tape recorder...

My objections are purely for the reasons already stated as a parent I wouldn't want my children subjected to a curriculum for their every waking moment when they were in the care of others.

A bit that worried me was that by the end of the early years stage children should know 'What is right, what is wrong and why'

Now forgive me for saying at 40 I'm not sure I know that all the time.

I actually think the idea of EYFS is a very good one - however I get the feeling "mouse designed by gov dept - gosh it looks like an elephant"

From what I understand, it won't be that different to the current foundation stage.
In fact, th eobservations recorded will be easier, as it will be an observation, whether a photo, a picture, or a comment, and there will be no building blocks to fill in, or set up.
I believe the emphasis is ot be holostic play/approach.
Spontaneous observations will be the key words, also.

littlerach "Spontaneous observations will be the key words "looking at it with my teacher's hat on would you mind explaining how I fit in the "spontaneous observations" of my class of 30 children (which only needs a single teacher) while fulfilling the requirements to have my 30 children reading and writing to the levels defined in the EYFS by "holistic play"?

I ask my staff to make 10 (or so) post-it sized observations a week......which averages about 1 every 2 hrs

This seems a lot to me - but I don't envy you your 30

You average to 1 an hour....as long as you ignore lunch & breaks