Upon completion, the practitioner will have gained an understanding of observation and assessment of young children’s learning and development and how the cyclical process of observation, assessment and planning works.

a) Understanding why we observe children

b) Understanding the different types of observations

c) Making observations meaningful and actionable

d) The importance of a child-centred approach to observation and planning

e) Understanding the connection between observation, documentation, assessment and planning for learning, and demonstrating how observations of a child inform the planning process

f) Reflecting on observations and creating practical next steps

g) Practicing the observation process – to include toolkits and templates

h) Managing the observation process in settings, including support for staff

i) Next Steps for specific situations e.g. SEN, 2-year olds, hard to reach groups