Are we losing the plot when it comes to planning? This is a question that is increasingly preoccupying childcare professionals who worry that a prescribed approach to the early learning goals is placing children on a topics treadmill.
In an ideal world, the three phases of planning - long-, medium- and short-term - should provide a stimulating framework for all children to access the Foundation Stage curriculum. But, in reality, there is confusion about how a strategy can be developed which is both structured and responsive to individual children's needs. For many time-pressed settings it can appear a near-impossible remit.
Education consultant Margaret Edgington says, 'This crisis in understanding is symptomatic of what is wrong in early years. We have too few specialists trained to a high level, and too many very inexperienced practitioners who need strong leadership and direction on a day-to-day basis.'
Experts believe the most effective planning occurs when practitioners start from observation and assessment of children's needs and introduce curriculum content which provides a balance of child-initiated and adult-led experiences. The aim is to motivate children and engage them through their preferred learning style.
According to Ms Edgington, medium-term planning is important because it encourages practitioners to look back at what children have been interested in and what they have achieved over recent weeks. With this knowledge, it is then possible for practitioners to plan loosely for the immediate weeks ahead.
'However, weekly and daily planning are the most vital, because this can be developed from what it has been observed the children currently need and are interested in,' she says.
Written plans
At Leeds LEA, Teresa Todd, Foundation Stage improvement manager, believes that effective long-term planning hinges on the environment and that activities naturally flow from that. 'How a setting is organised will reflect the needs of the children and all will be different,' she says. 'If the environment is well organised, opportunities for learning can be built upon without adults always taking the lead with activities. It frees up the adults to observe and interact with the children.'
It is agreed that putting too much emphasis on written plans can be counterproductive. Lesley Staggs, national director of the Foundation Stage, says, 'This can represent a huge investment of time and become a straightjacket. For example, if there is a sudden snowfall, practitioners should have the flexibility to capitalise on the children's interest - rather than worrying about the fact that it is not the scheduled activity.'
Although many practitioners might like to have a blueprint for planning, Ms Staggs states that this by its very nature is not possible. 'The QCA guidelines are a helpful step but are not intended as something which practitioners can hold up and say "I'm doing what I have been told to do",'
she says. 'What they need to do is look at a combination of factors in their particular setting - environment, time, space and resources. How planning will unfold and develop cannot be contained in a written plan alone.'
Some settings have criticised Ofsted for failing to provide a sound view of planning and adequate feedback. The education watchdog is quick to counter this idea. 'We consider effective planning is a key factor to providing a high-quality Foundation Stage curriculum,' says a spokesman. 'However, we do not prescribe what plans must look like, or apply hard and fast rules.
Instead, we evaluate how the planning - whatever form it takes - helps children to make progress towards early learning goals.'
A sound understanding of the curriculum can be the best starting point for getting to grips with planning. 'This must come first,' says Ms Staggs.
'Curriculum guidance provides the long-term basis for planning and from there, practitioners will think about the medium term along the lines of how this can be organised in a way that makes sense for the setting.'
Staff meetings
But while practitioners must have a clear understanding of curriculum content, this by itself is not enough. There must also be an appreciation of how children develop and learn. Ms Edgington says, 'We have too few practitioners with this understanding, and inevitably managers feel they need to spoon-feed their staff. This is counterproductive because staff do not learn how to deal with planning themselves. And many practitioners - particularly those working shifts - don't have time to get together to talk about children or to do the planning.'
Vicky Hutchin, author of Right From The Start: Effective Planning and Assessment in the Early Years (Hodder Arnold, 14.99), agrees that planning takes time. 'In day nurseries, where staff are on shifts or are not allocated contact time, there tend to be few opportunities to meet and discuss planning. Staff meetings are a rare occasion, perhaps monthly or six-weekly at the end of a long day, while many playgroups have nowhere to meet after their session and are only paid for the time they spend with the children.'
Some of the nursery chains have come in for criticism of the way they plan, with topics firmly at the core of their planning and all nurseries doing the same topic at any one time. Nursery chain Asquith Court, however, believes its strategy is raising standards without sacrificing flexibility.
Education manager Ann Roberts says, 'Because there is now parity of themes between settings, we are in a better position to monitor learning outcomes. There has been some criticism that it is centrally and hierarchically driven, but this is not the case. Our planning is a support document and not intended to be dictatorial.
'The reality is that we work in a high turnover industry, and when you get two practitioners leaving a room of three team members it creates tremendous pressure - particularly when the person left is the most inexperienced. There is very little time for practitioners to plan. What we are doing is giving them a solid starting point, so they have more time to allow creative ideas to blossom.'
Vicky Hutchin emphasises that there is lots of good advice and high-quality training available through LEAs and EYDCPs, but staff have to be released to take advantage of it. 'Often there is no time allocated to discuss what they have learned with the rest of their team,' she says.
One authority which prides itself on the high standard of its training is the London borough of Lewisham. Its early years advisor Judith Stevens believes this is raising standards. 'Lewisham provides training days for planning and record keeping and we have also published a training manual, Focus On Planning, which is free to settings in the borough,' she says.
'While it is intended as a practical resource, it is also intended to inspire practitioners and encourage them to dig deeper into the children's interests.'
Inspiration is a valuable commodity. Ms Edgington says, 'The best ideas for short-term planning often come at the end of the day when the adults are tidying up. In this way practitioners can re-evaluate activities on a daily basis and give children the chance to write the plot themselves.'
CASE STUDY: CAVERSTEDE EARLY YEARS CENTRE
Observation is the basis for all planning carried out at Caverstede Early Years Centre in Peterborough. Head of inclusion Pat Cross reports that this is particularly important for a setting where 25 per cent of the children have additional needs.
She says, 'In order to be truly inclusive, planning has to reflect the needs of individual children and this can only be achieved by ensuring that all practitioners have input.'
The nursery environment is divided into workshop areas which are designed to encourage short-term planning. 'In this way we offer continuous provision,' says Ms Cross. 'This helps our activities to be child-led and allows their interests to unfold and develop naturally.'
Because the nursery accommodates three classes of 27 children, who attend a mixture of full-day, morning and afternoon sessions, organisation is key to effective planning. 'We use planning sheets to record our observations and ensure that the whole team spends time together to devise their planning for the coming week,' says Ms Cross. 'The planning sheet is essentially a working document and meetings generally take place within nursery hours.
These meetings are considered a priority, even if they have to take place after the children have gone home.'
The nursery works hard to ensure that everyone is involved and has the opportunity to influence activities. 'Our children here have a wide range of needs and we would not be able to cater to these if we did not get input from all our practitioners,' says Ms Cross.
She adds, 'We also have parents in the classroom and we include them in the planning process. This has helped in following through interesting themes, such as festivals. The author Christine Parker recently brought in books and photos from her travels in Pakistan and this has been the springboard for other interests, including churches.'