Evaluating Early Years Practice in Your School

Book excerpt: Evaluating Early Years Practice in Your School focuses on raising Early Years practitioners' confidence so that they worry less and achieve more. Linked to the teaching standards and the Ofsted framework, this invaluable guide looks at ways that teachers can evaluate their own EYFS practice to reduce unnecessary workload and allow for more 'hands-on' teaching and learning. Should children in Reception classes attend school assemblies? Should young children be taught to write in nursery? Should practitioners' plans be based on young children's specific interests or should they look to meet the needs of individuals entering Early Years settings with speech and language delay or autism? Early Years specialist Ann Langston considers all of these questions and more to present simple solutions for teachers and leaders on what to plan, what assessments are needed and how to approach teaching and learning. With chapters on observation and assessment, continuous provision, outdoor learning, transition, and internal and external evaluation, this book is ideal for all Early Years practitioners and leaders looking at ways to reflect on their approach to teaching and feel confident about their own judgements and the effectiveness of their practice.