1 Planning in the early years setting requires a strategic approach.
* Every setting will have long-, medium- and short-term curriculum plans and individual learning programmes for children. You need to know how the plans are compiled and the inter-relationship between one and the others.
* Collect plans from your setting, particularly where you have contributed directly.
2 The curriculum, or range of activities offered, needs to support areas of development, and for Foundation Stage children will cover the Early Learning Goals.
* Devise a long-term theme plan. Draw a chart with a box in the centre to write in your chosen theme, for example, spring, and divide the rest of the page into six equal parts. In each section write an area of learning - mathematical development; physical development; communication, language and literacy; creative development; personal, social and emotional development, and knowledge and understanding of the world.
* Identify the activities you could promote using your theme.
3 Plan activities involving community resources either within or outside your setting.
* A visit to a fire station with women fire officers could challenge stereotyping and develop safety awareness.
* A parent invited to talk about living abroad, or demonstrating how to put on a sari, can be cross-referenced in to P2.
4 Plans need to demonstrate that equal opportunities have been included.
* Ensure any plans that you present for assessment include these issues. For every activity ask yourself 'How would I?'-'How would I adapt this activity for a hearing impaired child? ...introduce different cultures into this activity? ...ensure boys/girls do not dominate this activity?' 5 You need to be aware of the developmental progress of each child in your care and how to develop an Individual Learning Programme (ILP) with realistic aims, objectives and learning outcomes.
* ILPs target specific needs, state what you hope to achieve (be realistic), and strategies for addressing the issue.
6 ILPs may include activities to develop concentration, opportunities for co-operative play, development of hand-eye co-ordination, or learning colours.
* In most instances the planned curriculum will accommodate these programmes.
* Draw up an imaginary individual learning plan stating the aim, for example, confidence in speaking out loud; the objective, for example, talk to one other child; the strategies that you will use, for example, encourage play with the child's best friend, praise the child when they speak; and dates - when the programme was drawn up, when the strategies were implemented, and the review date.
7 Once the curriculum plans are prepared you need to demonstrate your ability to implement them. The long-term plan develops into a medium-term plan, and the medium-term plan into a short-term plan, this in turn becomes a weekly or daily plan. The final plan is an activity plan.
* Prepare a plan for painting or water-play. Write everything down: what activity, when, where, who will be responsible, resources needed, health and safety considerations, learning goals.
* Carry out the activity when you can be assessed and complete the exercise by evaluating it.
8 Evaluation of plans, and their implementation, is important in quality play and care.
* Appraise how the children respond, participate and interact through observation, discussion, and questioning. At the end of each activity ask yourself: Were the children fully able to participate? Did they enjoy it? Were the learning objectives met?
* Record your account.
9 Having started with plans at various levels, implemented and evaluated them, the loop goes full circle to be fed into future plans.
* Draw a circular flow chart showing the full process of managing plans.
10 Top Tip! 'The key to children's learning lies in the evaluations you make.' Vin Hollis, county co-ordinator, Pre-school Learning Alliance, Leicestershire.