Using observations purposefully to meet the needs of each child - Estyn

Using observations purposefully to meet the needs of each child

Effective Practice
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Cylch Meithrin Pwllheli
Early years practitioners standing in a nursery classroom surrounded by toys and learning resources.

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Information about the setting     

  • The setting is situated in a room on the site of Ysgol Cymerau in Pwllheli. 
  • Pwllheli is a coastal market town which serves the town itself and the neighbouring rural communities. 
  • Around half of the children come from Welsh-speaking homes.  
  • The setting holds one Foundation Learning sessions every morning between 9.00-11.00.  
  • The Meithrin Plus children and the setting’s children are offered care at the setting between 11.00- 3.00. 
  • The leader and 6 assistants support the setting. Two of the six are senior assistants when the leader is not on site. 
  • The setting has a dedicated outdoor area. The door is open throughout the session to allow children to move independently between the indoor and outdoor area. The school playground is used for other physical activities. 
  • The setting is part of the Designed to Smile programme.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

Practitioners in the setting gather and use observations purposefully to meet the needs of each child and, by doing so, they strengthen teaching and assessment across all areas of provision. The approach is based on a simple and consistent principle. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

To ensure inclusion, all children are observed by using the same method, although the assessments are specific to each child. That is, practitioners understand that all children make progress and develop in their own individual way. Daily observation by each practitioner leads directly to clear next steps and these steps influence planning and the daily experiences available to the children. 

All practitioners in the team observe children daily as a natural part of the interaction with the children. These observations are gathered by taking pictures of real learning in authentic contexts. Practitioners then record briefly on the picture what happened, identifying what the child did, what they said (where appropriate) and the skills seen. This ensures that the evidence is accurate, relevant and reflects progress from day to day, rather than artificial tasks. Observations include memorable moments, experiences and a clear next step to support children’s learning. 

To ensure consistency and clarity, the team uses a colour coding system for each observation to show progress status and the next steps. For example, blue indicates a clear next step, while green indicates that the child has reached an individual target, and yellow indicates that a child is making progress against targets set in their Individual Development Plan (IDP). If practitioners have noticed that a child needs more support to develop a skill further, this is recorded in blue, with comments and examples of how to support the child to reach their full potential. 

When a child starts at the setting, practitioners work together to draw up an individual target for each child, depending on their individual needs. This target can be for the year (e.g. supporting the child to speak Welsh), or it can change if the child succeeds in achieving it. These observations are recorded in green. This system supports children with ALN very effectively. If a child has an IDP, observations against their individual targets will be in yellow. Daily observations provide clear evidence of progress against different targets or identify if a child needs more support. This coding makes the information easy for any member of staff to interpret immediately and enables the team to respond quickly by adapting the challenge, support or provision. 

All observations also identify which developmental pathway is being reached, linking the evidence to areas such as Belonging, Exploration, Communication, Well-being and Physical Development. This strengthens progression and ensures that the team tracks progress purposefully against the skills of the developmental pathways, rather than gathering evidence separately to plan. The fact that all practitioners are part of the process is a clear strength. The responsibility is shared, there is a richer understanding of the children and the response to needs is more consistent.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards? 

As a result, the team is able to meet the needs of each child more directly and track progress in more detail. This practice was recognised as leading practice because of the way in which daily observations, clear coding, team responsibility and linking developmental pathways work together to improve teaching and assessment continuously. These learning journey books are shared with parent and carers at each parents’ evening to discuss each child’s individual progress and provide visual evidence. Feedback from parents about the books and the observation system is very positive. 

How have you shared your good practice? 

Speaking at a Mudiad Meithrin conference. 

Sharing good practice other teachers and leaders.