Fahima Begum
D1: Give an explanation of the use of observations of children, which must
include a range of relevant reasons to show understanding of how and why
observations are used.
Every child has a number of individual needs, as practitioners we must be aware of
all of their needs in order to be able to plan to meet them effectively. Every child is
different because they all have different healthcare, learning, hygiene, eating needs.
Some children may even have special educational needs. Observation helps us assess
children’s progress so we can find out about the specific care and learning needs of
each child. We can also identify their learning styles, interests, care needs and
abilities. This means we can then plan appropriate activities, support and routines for
the child.
Early intervention is when we identify if a child is not showing signs of emerging skills
in one or more areas of development. We then discuss it with the child’s parents and
other key workers in the nursery to put a support plan in place to help that child
move on and make progress. After a certain period of time, this plan will then be
reviewed and if progress still has not been made, specialist professionals may be
bought into the nursery to assess the child for a SEN. This will then help insure that
the child will carry on developing but with the right amount of care and support.
Furthermore, we observe how the children are using the rooms and the outdoor
area of the nursery and the resources within it. Some areas of the setting may be
stale and children are not using the area as much anymore so it may need
rearranging. If certain resources are not being used anymore, we may put some away
for a while so the children can play with other resources. If the children are spending
more time outdoors, more staff may then should be timetabled to go outside.
A transition is any planned or unplanned changes in a child’s life or routine. For
example, going from home to nursery, which is a planned transition. We might
observe a child when they are going through a transition because transitions can
often upset a child or you may see a change in their behaviour. This means that
practitioners may need to provide the child with extra support until they have gotten
used to the change in their life.
Working in partnership is working with other people who are involved with the
child’s care and education such as parents, professionals in the nursery setting and
external professionals. It is important to pass our observations onto other
professionals so they have information about the child’s ability, needs and
behaviour.
Explain reasons for maintaining accurate and coherent
records and reports. (D2)
,Fahima Begum
All information needs to be accurate and clear to inform
others such as the child’s carer, SENCO and practitioners. This
is because practitioners can only make judgements on the
child’s development if they have accurate information. Also,
records need to be accurate and coherent as they will be
used by others to provide the correct care and support for
the child.
We must ensure information held is accurate and coherent
because of legal requirements. Examples of legal
requirements are; the General Data Protection Requirement
(GDPR) (2018) and the Childcare Act (2006). Records must be
easily accessible, available and it must be held securely.
Finally, we must ensure information held is accurate and
coherent because it needs to support informed decisions and
future planning. This means that we have to use the
information to plan for the child’s learning and development
to ensure the child’s individual care needs are met. Informing
suggests that the practitioners need to gather all the
information together so they can work out what the next
step is for the child’s learning and development.
Unit 7 – Observation, assessment and planning (D3)
The child may arrive at setting having not slept well or having not eaten. Hunger or tiredness
may affect the child’s behaviour as the child could be lethargic and falling asleep and the
child’s concentration span could be reduced. If we observe a child while they are feeling this
way, the effect upon the observation could be that there is not a clear measurement of the
child. In addition, the observation will not be an accurate judgement of the child’s ability
because they are not as focused as they usually might be.
A child may have changes to their usual routine at the setting or at home. This may affect
the child’s behaviour as they could be withdrawn and overly quiet and the child could
regress into behaviour that is more immature. If we observe a child while they are feeling
this way, the effect upon the observation could be that it will have a negative impact on the
, Fahima Begum
child’s progress and the information may be invalid, it is not a true reflection of the child’s
ability.
The child may not be familiar with the environment. This may affect the child’s behaviour as
they could feel insecure and need constant reassurance and they could be isolating
themselves. If we observe a child while they are feeling this way, the effect upon the
observation could be that if the child is withdrawn, it could affect the observation, which
makes planning for the child’s next steps more difficult. In addition, if the outcomes of the
assessment are inaccurate, it could have a negative impact on the child.
The child may go into the setting and the environment may be very busy or noisy. This may
affect the child’s behaviour as they are unable to follow instructions and the child may be
unable to complete simple tasks, which they could normally do. If we observe a child while
they are feeling this way, the effect upon the observation could be that if the measurement
of the outcomes is inaccurate, the child may not receive the right support that they need. In
addition, because the information gained is not valid, it will not show the true reflection of
the child’s ability.
If a practitioner feels unwell, their concentration may be affected and they may miss out key
information about the child, which should be recorded. This can affect the observations we
make of children as the information gained will not be very accurate or based upon the
child’s real ability at that time. In addition, the observation may not be totally objective as
the practitioner is not able to perform at their best.
The child may arrive at the setting feeling unwell. This may affect the child’s behaviour as
they may feel tearful, very clingy and need a lot of comforting. The child may also be unable
to focus or concentrate. If we observe a child while they are feeling this way, the effect upon
the observation could be that the measurement of the child may not be correct and there
will not be an accurate judgement of the child’s ability. In addition, it may have a negative
impact towards the child’s progress.
Explain observation and planning requirements in relation to the current
framework (D4)
Discuss the observation assessment and planning cycle (C2)
The current framework for children under five years is the: Statutory
framework for the Early Year’s Foundation Stage setting the standards for
learning, development and care for children from birth to five (March 2017).
Observation requirements of the current framework are that practitioners
should watch, listen and interact as children engage in everyday activities and
demonstrate their specific knowledge, skills and understanding. It is likely that
observations of everyday activities will provide evidence of attainment in more
