Alistair first gave us the opportunity to write about OP&L in February 2021 and for more detailed information, please refer to our previous blog posts on abcdoes.com. OP&L is an assessment tool, developed by us at Barnet Early Years Alliance (BEYA). We wanted to give our practitioners back time we felt was wasted collecting unnecessary evidence. Who is this evidence for? We know that it is through our interactions that we get to know our children best. We believe that if we are behind an iPad capturing the moment, we cannot be part of the moment. We wanted to share and be a part of our children’s fascinations, their curiosities, the awe and wonder. It also coincided with the key objectives of the … Read More
OP&L Assessment – Thoughts from Practitioners.
We have had such a positive response to OP&L so far, it really seems to have struck a chord with lots of you. With the new EYFS reforms on the horizon, now feels like the right time to make a change. Key objectives of the reforms are to improve outcomes for all children and to reduce practitioner workload. It encourages practitioners to use their professional judgement and to not rely on unnecessary evidence and paperwork, which is what OP&L does. We think it’s also worth remembering that the only statutory forms of assessment in the EYFS are the 2 year check and the Foundation Stage profile, so we are free to use what is right for us and our children. … Read More
OP&L Part Two – How It Works In Practice
Last week we talked to you about OP&L and the principles behind our approach to assessment. This week we will tell you more about how it works in practice. So how does OP&L look in practice? Milestones Opal works on the basis of having very simple, six-monthly child developmental milestones, which we use to monitor children’s development. These milestones reflect what we believe a ‘typical’ child, should be able to achieve. When looking at the statements, we assess if the child has met the milestones and record a simple ‘yes’ or ‘not yet’. We know that not all children will have ‘typical’ development. Opal allows us to tell and celebrate each child’s story and focus on the support they need … Read More
OP&L – A Different Way to Look at Assessment in Early Years
Today I am sharing a blog post from Janine and the team at Barnet Early Years Alliance. It is all about how they are making observation and assessment more meaningful for both children and adults. This is part one, part two next week…. OP&L – Observation of Play and learning Bringing back the joy of observing children in the Early Years Observing children in the early years should not be a chore. We decided to stand up to the increasing demands for ‘paperwork’ and ‘evidence’ with the aim of giving ourselves time. Time to spend interacting and playing with our children, not testing them. Who are we? We are Barnet Early Years Alliance (BEYA), a Federation of three nursery schools … Read More