So Early Years is going through lots of changes at the moment, with still more changes to come. With the change of the Early Learning Goals, the introduction of the Reception baseline assessment and what frameworks such as ‘development matters’ to use. So many decisions and so many changes. I don’t know about you, but it’s quite a lot to deal with. Not including the fact that I work at a brand new primary school and have already designed a curriculum from scratch that will now have to be adapted again to meet this criteria.
The easiest thing to do in this situation is feel lost! Yes, lost. Overanalyzing what to do, what framework to use, how to adapt your curriculum, listening to experts on their thoughts and ideas. So how do you decide what is right and what is the right thing to do? Now I am and probably always will be an advocate for Early Years. It’s what I love and it’s where my passion lies. But I also have to think a little more strategically. This isn’t about me. Yes, I have certain beliefs about Early Years, know what I feel is best practice and have strong core values about what I want these children to experience in their time with me. But these are big decisions and although I want to stick to certain ways of doing things, I have to think of the bigger picture. What I mean by this is that there is usually never a right or wrong way of doing things. You have to do what is right for the current cohort you have, the staff you have and the school you are in. For example, you may be a part of a big Multi Academy Trust, if so their ‘experts’ might advise that you follow the ‘Development Matters’ framework, as this is what the Department for Education are pushing, but also if other schools within the Trust are using this then you would have people to go to for advice. I know that I would ideally like to follow ‘The Birth to 5 Matters’ framework. It is rooted in research, it’s based on child development (which can at times be missed by powers that be!) and it’s written by professionals themselves, those who have worked in the sector so know the sector well. To me, this sounds like the right way to go. I’ve attended the webinar, got the document printed ready to read and have told my current Headteacher that I think this is the way to go. But like I said these decisions are never that easy. My current school is going to be merging with a larger Academy Trust, so I need to already think about what they may be advising. I also need to think about the work I need to put into the curriculum. Another thing to think about is online learning journals. I currently use Tapestry and believe it has had a positive impact on our relationships with parents. Another thing to think about would be links with any Nurseries that you have. In my situation we are opening a Nursery from an outside provider with the hope that once the school grows more, we can open a Nursery class ourselves. This being said, I need to think about what framework they will be using. It’ll be an easier process if we are using the same framework and although they technically are not a part of my EYFS unit, working relationships with them will be key to getting the best for the children. It’ll also support areas such as transition, if we are using the same jargon and evidencing materials, then it’ll help the process of moderation and transitioning the children to the next phase of the EYFS curriculum.
What I really wanted this post to be about was that you may see things on social media, in newspapers and even training events talking about certain ways of doing things and about what ‘best practise’ looks like. But isn’t ‘best practise’ a personal thing anyway. I know some great teachers who think that ‘best practise’ is a more structured way of working, but this works for them, their team and their school. So the term ‘best practise’ itself can be interpreted in ways to suit an individual's beliefs. This is ok. ‘Best practise’ is actually going to look differently to us all and we can’t be influenced by what other people are doing because they may be in very different contexts than others. An inner city school in London who may have a high percentage of English as Additional Language children to a small rural village school in the Cotswolds are going to have very different examples of what ‘best practise’ looks like to them. So I encourage you to be a bit of a rebel. Stand up for what you think is right. Right for you. Right for your team. Right for your cohort. Right for your school. There is so much more to think about when making these decisions than simple following what others are doing. And who knows, maybe one day people will look to you for advice about what you think ‘best practise’ is. These discussions are only doing to propel you to a greater understanding of what you define best practices to you and your current context.
Stay strong my Early Years heroes. Be brave with your decisions. Remember, do what is right for you, your team, your cohort and your school. Noone knows it better than you do!
Mrs Morgan
No comments:
Post a Comment