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Good practice in Early Years observations.

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Pat Brunton and Linda Thornton explain how to make sure your observation and assessment policy is effective and supports the children in your setting

The 2013 Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile Handbook sets out the procedures to be followed by practitioners assessing and reporting on children's progress at the end of the Foundation Stage. However, the guidance in this document contains a great deal of useful information that you can use to guide the process of observing and assessing the progress of younger children.

Principles underpinning assessment

The principles that should underpin assessment of young children's learning and development are as follows.

Reliable and accurate assessment should be based primarily on the practitioner's knowledge of the child, gained predominantly from observation and interaction in a range of daily activities and events.

A well-thought-through pedagogy must be in place so that the provision enables each child to demonstrate their learning and development fully.

Practitioners should be looking for evidence of 'embedded learning' - this is identified by assessing what a child can do consistently and independently in a range of everyday situations.

An effective assessment should present a holistic view of a child's learning and development.

Accurate assessments need to include contributions from a range of perspectives including the child (whenever possible), their parents and other relevant adults.

There are a number of key points here that would be useful to include in an audit of the setting's existing observation and assessment policy to ensure it is fit for purpose.

What is observational assessment?

Observational assessment is the key to understanding what children really know and can do

Observational assessment involves watching, listening and noting what children say and do as they play together, interact with adults and engage in everyday activities and experiences. From this you will be able to build up an understanding of individual children by seeing how they demonstrate their specific knowledge, skills and understanding. Each child will be different in this respect as everyone has their own unique way of approaching and building their learning.

Observational assessment is the key to understanding what children really know and can do, and it is the most reliable way of building up an accurate picture of a child's development and learning.

How and when observations are made will vary depending on the circumstances, the child and the type of activity. Although some observations may be planned, there will be others that are more spontaneous and capture an important moment or event. The key to capturing these moments is to know the children well and to be aware of the sorts of things that are likely to spark their imagination. This also supports your planning, which will come from previous observations of young children's interests and fascinations.

Evidence of attainment

The holistic nature of young children's learning means that observations of everyday activities will provide evidence of attainment across many different areas of learning. This is where a thorough knowledge of the content of the EYFS Learning and Development Framework is essential. It is only through this that practitioners can be fully tuned-in to all the learning opportunities that present themselves in every setting on a daily basis.

When reviewing your observation and assessment policy and providing training for the staff team, it is important to stress that observational assessment should not entail prolonged breaks from interaction with children or the production of large amounts of written records. The core skill practitioners need to develop is an appreciation of what is important and meaningful for any one child within the vast range of possible 'observation opportunities' available.

Using a well-thought-through pedagogical approach

When children have access to a rich learning environment it provides them with the opportunities and conditions in which they can flourish in all aspects of their development

It is essential that the pedagogical approach of the setting enables each child to demonstrate and build their learning and development. Effective observational assessment, which involves noticing children's interests, skills and knowledge, should be used to plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child. When children have access to a rich learning environment it provides them with the opportunities and conditions in which they can flourish in all aspects of their development.

As part of the audit of the effectiveness of your assessment procedures you may want to consider

your understanding of child development, including both the biological and cultural aspects, and how this impacts on the way you support children's learning in your setting

how well your approach to planning ensures a wide range of relevant, motivating, flexible and interesting opportunities for children

how effectively your environment facilitates and encourages successful learning by all children in your setting, e.g. boys and girls, children with additional needs, children for whom English is not their home language or children who learn best when out of doors.

how well all staff members understand the EYFS Framework and the principles behind the setting's observation and assessment policy

the importance of high-quality adult interaction that is sensitive and adaptive to the needs of individual children.

The implementation of a successful observation and assessment policy not only supports individual children's continuing learning and development, but it also provides vital information to share with parents and with colleagues who may have responsibility for supporting the next stage in a child's learning journey.

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Good practice in early years observation and assessment

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The 2013 Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile Handbook1 sets out the procedures to be followed by practitioners assessing and reporting on children's progress at the end of the Foundation Stage. However, the guidance in this document contains a great deal of useful information that you can use to guide the process of observing and assessing the progress of younger children.

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Reports from the review of early education and childcare qualifications.

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Professor Cathy Nutbrown's review of early education and childcare qualifications.

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Nutbrown review: foundations for quality

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Reports from the review of early education and childcare qualifications.