FS Data Story 2014-2015
Borough Context
Indices of deprivation (2010) for Tower Hamlets indicate that “[d]eprivation is widespread in Tower Hamlets and the borough remains one of the most deprived areas in the country.” The worst measures relate to “housing and income deprivation, especially income deprivation affecting children and older people.” Tower Hamlets is ranked third highest in London on the three measures average Index of Multiple Deprivation, average IMD rank, and extent; on the local concentration measure, Tower Hamlets is ranked as the most deprived area in London.
Cayley FS Context
The FS staff are developing into a cohesive team, with a shared sense of purpose. SLT and LA feedback indicates that the phase is being led and managed well.
Spring 2015 performance management observations suggest that children feel safe, valued and happy, and enjoy engaging purposefully in a wide range of learning opportunities; they demonstrate independence and collaboration across the setting.Children are making rapid progress from their starting points.Internal moderation (including sessions with Y1 staff), Partnership schools moderation, and external LA moderation processes are ensuring that our assessments are accurate.
The approach to learning, teaching, development and priorities in the FS is being guided by analysis of progress and outcomes intersecting with previous Ofsted inspections, LA moderation visits (which we have requested for 2014-2015), LA EYS recommendations, and internal review and consideration (of events, such as the impact of building works, and through formal procedures such as monitoring). We use visits to other settings, statutory and support publications, and research, e.g. Ofsted case studies and sector publications, to reflect on and lead to an enhancement of our practice and provision;annually, the FS team is making full use of available differentiated INSET time and Phase meetings, and formal and informal discussions, to focus on our priorities and plan action in response to the outcomes that we have shared. Members of the team work as contributors in these contexts, and through their Performance Management targets.Working in these ways has already had an impact on, for example, service style at lunchtime, our use and future development of the outdoor area, and our approach to children’s independence and emotional wellbeing. In particular, since previous inspections and LA ‘health checks’ it has been a team priority to improve our interaction in support of children’s learning and development; and our last PM observations (Spring 2015) indicated all adults were positively engaged with the children, and making a difference.
Our observation, assessment and planning system and approach to transition and settling accounts for accurately assessing attainment on entry, including where there are known or potential additional needs, and for supporting children and their families appropriately from the beginning. We place an early emphasis on the quality of relationships, children’s wellbeing and the CoEL, with the aim of enablingchildren to have the best opportunity to progress across the AoLD; PSED has our highest PA outcomes.Changes to the FS environment over time, e.g. for independent access to resources, changes to use of time, e.g. organisation of free-flow, and examples of direct teaching such as the Key Person group sessions in the Nursery, have had a significant impact on children’s CoEL and ‘readiness’ from very early starting points.On transition from Nursery to Reception, we are supporting children to regain their previous outcomes and continue to make progress, following a regression over the Summer holiday.
Our method of quickly identifying children’s starting points (see details below) indicatesour children’s needs across the three common areas of developmental delay explored in Ofsted’s publication ‘Are you ready?’: social and emotional development, physical development and communication.We have observed children who are unsure how to be independent in self-care, including eating; children who are unsure about how to make choices; children who are unsure about how to play; and children who are reluctant to communicate or unsure how to build relationships. We aim to be most effective in meeting children’s needs over time through our use of a combination of thematic planning, which connects with what matters to children and offers the riches of the narrative tradition, and short- and medium-term responsive planning using children’s day-to-day interests and the interests and needs observed during the planned observation cycle; daily class team evaluations feed into this responsive planning.We are using Assessment for Learning techniques in our interaction with children about their activities, and in reflecting with the children on the samples being placed into their ‘Special Books’.
During one of our moderation visits, the LA recommended that we consider joining the TH Healthy Early Years project, which provides opportunities to enhance key practice and provision relating to the three areas of developmental delay. We have achieved accreditation and are seeking re-verification in 2015. Involvement in this project has led to, for example,a continuing review of PSED, with links to the whole school Code of Conduct; the ‘family-style’ serving at lunchtime; a PD project with an external consultant, for the Nursery; and use of ETHCaT techniques across the FS associated with both observation, assessment and planning, and moment to moment interaction. (See details below.)
We have developed ways of working closely in partnership with parents over several years (detailed below). Parents’ views and information are gained quickly through our transition and settling arrangements, and the methods of our observation, assessment and planning framework; this, in turn, has been enhanced through our use of recommended ETHCaT tools or proformas. Detailed information from parents is captured during home visits using the ‘Home Visit Record’ we have developed (which, in addition, allows us to share transition expectations and make recommendations), and the ETHCaT ‘Home Language Mapping’ record. The information is used to create a cohort summary of the range of known needs, identifying children who would benefit from specific intervention, including individualised support, or further referral; the summary is shared with the Inclusion Manager, with whom we liaise about the nature of the support required.
Below, we outline further some of this action and a consideration of its impact, associated with our assessments of children’s needs including baseline assessments and the EYFSP outcomes,for the past two years. See the PL team documentation file for related documentation exemplifying the team approach and our focus on priorities for action: e.g. vision; PSED and CL overview; planning and guidance for planning; practice and provision across AoLD e.g. Literacy and Maths; advisory materials and the framework for the observation and assessment system.
Cayley’s FS Outcomes
2013-2014
We used recommended TH progress tracking to measure entry points and progress, and trialled use of the ETHCaT monitoring tool for some children with identified SLCN.
On entry to Nursery, available data indicates 100% of the Cayley intake working below age-related expectations (30-50 months), with some at 8-20 months. In turn, on entry to Reception, the majority of the cohort were working below age-related expectations, between 8-20 months and 30-50 months across the AoLD.Children are making rapid progress given their starting points: at the end of Reception, 82% of the cohort made 4 or more points of progress in the majority of the 17 aspects of learning and development.
PSED / PD / CL / Literacy / MathsReception baseline,% at age-related expectations (40-60 months) / 7 / 9 / 7 / 0 / 6
EYFSP outcomes (updated Cayley data, % for ‘Expected’ or ‘Exceeding’) / 73 / 76 / 69 / 49 / 50
Difference
(impact %) / 66 / 67 / 62 / 49 / 44
CL has the lowest Prime Area outcomes. Of the Specific Areas, Literacy has the lowest outcomes. Our EYFSP results are lower than national and lower than the LA.We can see that our practice and provision has a significant impact on the Prime Areas, and an impact on Literacy and Maths – but we wish to see a greater impact on CL and Literacy and Maths. LA recommendations included continued support for CL, especially through creativity.
For 2014-2015, we are enhancing our thematic planning for all AoLD, beginning work on enhanced Continuous Provision mapping, and taking all opportunities throughout the year for meaningful learning experiences offering something inspiring to talk about (such as festivals, celebrations, and charity events), including their potential Literacy links. We have created new role play ‘mapping’ to enrich practice and provision for role play throughout the year, including adults’ involvement, children’s participation in organising and developing the focus area, and Literacy and Maths opportunities.
The outcomes for the Cayley intake exceeded those of the new intake. Moderation has confirmed that an influential factor in our outcomes is our number of late entrants, arriving with little or no English and little or no experience in early years settings; a group of new entrants arrived after January 2014. We put appropriately differentiated and individualised support in place for this group, includingstaff using, or learning to use, the children’s home languages (e.g. key phrases to reassure, express routines and expectations, or invite thinking or conversation), and developing a shared, team understanding of specific needs and support for behaviour and interaction (e.g. through team ‘surgery’ sessions about children of concern).
Cayley intake / New intakeEYFSP outcomes based on updated Cayley data / GLD % / 22 / 12
APS / 31.5 / 27.9
Analysing by gender, boys’ outcomes are a concern across several AoLD, including the AoLD with the lowest outcomes for the cohort. The FS team has shared the outcomes and begun responding with changes to planning, practice and provision; e.g. we have added boy-friendly ideas to our thematic planning, and begun to develop features of our environment and interaction to engage boys’ interests and support their learning, such as a superheroes display outside, and adults engaging in boys’ role play activities outside. We are keen to find out what interests the boys, and to consider how to present it in accessible ways that support learning throughout the year. Our Special Books, planned observation cycle, and meetings with parents should contribute to this process.
Another dimension to our work supporting children who demonstrate the earliest levels of development on entry (including boys, and the three common areas of developmental delay mentioned above), is team reflection and action planning for the CoEL. Following a line of enquiry introduced by the TH EYS, we have made conceptual links with Margaret Carr’s work on children’s behaviour as learners and learning as a process, and considered the ways in which we can break down the barriers or help children to progress to the point of ‘readiness’ for learning and developing in the FS. Our PSED and CL document summarises the aspects of our approach.
2014-2015
The moderation process for 2014-2015, reflecting on previous outcomes and extant practice and provision, endorses our approach: we have a “very effective system for identifying needs and addressing them, both children’s needs and those of parents”.
In addition to single-sheet (Nursery and Reception) TH-based developmental progress tracking throughout the FS, we are using the ETHCaT monitoring tool for assessing and tracking progress in communication and English for all Nursery children this year; we will be evaluating its use at the end of the year, when we will be able to see how using it in a precise way, as recommended by the SaLT, complements our use of the progress tracking grid. In Reception, we assessed on entry using ETHCaT, and subsequently all children were screened using SpeechLink software as recommended by the school’s SaLT. Additionally, our home visit records and language mapping have been used to identify new children in need of small group intervention for CL, particularly in the Nursery; we are liaising with the Inclusion Manager, and encouraging families to use the services on offer at the local Children’s Centre.
We are monitoring and reflecting on progress within and between Nursery and Reception, in relation to feeder settings and Cayley itself. We make baseline assessments to identify children’s starting points quickly. This year, the baseline assessmentsindicate a need for ‘catching up’ on previously assessed levels after the Summer break, and a continuing, significant level of communication and language need across theFS at Cayley. The Reception SpeechLink screening confirms this need, especially for one class in the cohort.
The Nursery Autumn Term baseline for CL indicates all children in the cohort working below age-related expectations in Listening and Attention (levels between Birth-11 months and 22-36 months); in Understanding, only 3 children are working within 30-50 months, and in Speaking, only 1 child. The baseline for PD indicates only 1 child working at age-related level in each aspect. The baseline for PSED indicates only 1 child at age-related level for MFB and MR; all children are below age-related expectations in SCSA.
For the Nursery, we have identified SCSA as the first priority, in association with the CoEL; LA as second priority, and Speaking third.
We are finding that our Nursery PD project is having a very positive impact on the Nursery children’s wellbeing, PSED (including SCSA), self-care and CoEL(including independence and making choices). It is especially powerful for children who have not yet developed early movement patterns. Our involvement has extended from HEY accreditation, and in response to community needs (housing disadvantage and limited access to open spaces and natural environments in the urban setting), and our needs during and after building works (limited outdoor provision).Additionally, as the Tickell review indicated and research suggests, the AoLD exist in symbiosis, so through sustaining enriched practice and provision in PD, we are hoping to see consolidation of the strength of PD and CoEL outcomes in the EYFSP, and a longer term impact on other areas such as Literacy (children will be developing the physical capabilities to be writers, for example); there will be benefits especially for boys, for boys or girls at the earliest on-entry levels, and potentially for Summer born children. Our participation in the ETHCaM project will extend this enrichment, e.g. through specific support materials and collaboration between and amongst specialist agencies (physiotherapy, occupational therapy) and settings.
Our continuing small group speech and language intervention in the Nursery, organised according to SaLT and CC advice, is having a positive impact on progress. In collaboration with the OCC team, we are planning CL-focussed ‘stay and play’ sessions for identified families, which will involve younger siblings and so have an impact on readiness and progress in the future.
Our involvement in the Healthy Early Years accreditation project has led to ETHCaT training for FS team members, which has been developed into team practice and provision documentation being shared and discussed in FS INSET and meetings and,across the FS and in conjunction with our focus on research related to effective interaction, this should cover the range of ‘most successful practice’ identified in Ofsted’s publication on school readiness, ‘Are you ready?’ (e.g. ‘adults communicating and modelling language, showing, explaining, demonstrating, questioning, encouraging, facilitating and stimulating children throughout the day.’).As mentioned above, our positive interaction has been noted during monitoring observations this year; and we are mindful of the need of a balance between adult-led and child-initiated contexts for communication. We have already made improvements to the quality of provision through use of space and allocation of resources for child-initiated activities, and we are conducting an ETHCaT environment audit during Summer 1 2015, as recommended by the last LA moderation visit, to identify further key points of action.
For the January 2014 and September 2014 Nursery intakes, 5 children have made no progress in one of the aspects of PSED or in HSC; all other children have made between 1 and 11 points of progress across the 8 aspects of the Prime Areas of Learning and Development, from their baselines across the range.
PSED SCSA / 54 / CL LA / 41 / PD MH / 51
PSED MFB / 59 / CL U / 44 / PD HSC / 54
PSED MR / 49 / CL S / 46
Following use of SpeechLink assessment in Reception for the first time this year, intervention groups have been organised under the guidance of the school’s SaLT. A dedicated SaL TA runs daily activities with identified children, and class teachers have key techniques to use in class.We intend that our responsive planning cycle, differentiated adult-led activities, and the introduction of specific techniques in supporting creative, ‘possibility’ thinking, will provide appropriate stretch and challenge for children at more advanced stages of development.
We have continued to develop our Literacy practice and provision across the FS since the last inspection (see documentation and PM observations), focussing on what would help children to make more progress. We have reviewed and refined our planning, practice and provision each year; our Literacy document captures our ideas about adult-led and child-initiated activities, including plans for daily, differentiated systematic synthetic phonics sessions, guided reading, and breadth in writing.Our thematic planning indicates our stimuli for writing. Nursery is emphasising Letters and Sounds Phase 1, and making meaningful introductions to the initial phonemes in our Literacy programme, SFA. Our observations suggest that the children are responding very well to this approach, taking a great deal of interest in early phonics work. In Reception, revised practice and provision ensures appropriate progression. Across the FS, we are monitoring the effectiveness of time allocation and content; in addition, we are seeking improvements this year by undertaking training and purchasing for an alternative to the SFA programme materials.