spark has advanced over the last three decades to make things easier for everyone involved in meeting every child’s learning and development needs. Therefore, when our spark educators set out, they have consistent guidance in helping children achieve.  Everything revolves around the EYFS (Early Years Foundations Stage) and links up automatically to the framework. Observations are quick, with the further option to add evidence.  Then an appropriate choice of next steps is presented for the practitioner to feed into the child’s interests, themes/topics and routine activities.  Alternatively, in the EYFS play-based curriculum, practitioners are guided in what to watch out for as children play.  Either way, there is a variety of ways to make observations.  A quick option and the choice to make them more in-depth. The child can be involved in this, perhaps to upload their own photo and ‘paint a thousand words’ or a series of pictures to add to their personal Learning Stories collection.

The spark Observational Journey is the outcome of substantial experience and thought over many years.  For example, spark allows children with undiagnosed colour blindness to develop the concept of colour matching with colours they can determine, which can then highlight the undiagnosed colour blindness later on. Thoroughly researched, spark scaffolds learning to build upon what the child can already do.  There have been many influences, and these are some of those;-

Mary Sheridan – A Paediatrician concerned about speech and language delay.  An area of learning (Communication and Language) we now know, is so crucial to master in the early years and one where the progress made is an indicator of future success in formal education.

ELKLAN – Our nursery practitioners completed this training.  Therefore, as a consequence, the formation of speech sounds have been added. Later these were cross-referenced against the ECaT (Every Child a Talker – National Strategies, 2008) monitoring tool.

Observations made, are linked to the Healthy Child Programme used by UK Health Visitors’ criteria too.

Other aspects have complimented the Observational Journey and inform the educator and provide useful training tools to extend practice.  These include Schema and Learning Style recognition, Sustained Shared Thinking Strands, plus Well-being Signals and Involvement Scales (Leuven Scales).  Additional resources that support the Observational Journey map out links to British Values and, therefore, supports the practitioner’s understanding, whilst also satisfying Ofsted scrutiny.

Through spark,  there is equal importance, whatever the educator’s title, the ability to be both a facilitator and teacher as appropriate.  In considering the Enabling Environment, there are flexible planning tools (including In The Moment Planning).  spark fully supports deep learning through play.  School Readiness opportunities are available through a developmental approach, and Letters and Sounds (Department for Education 2007), numerals and currency (if required) are available.

Although historically, there wasn’t a curriculum framework before 1996, there was spark!  When asked to explain where our Observational Journey came from, I was reminded of the Early Years Developmental Journal; this was funded by the Department of Education and produced by the National Children’s Bureau with the help from the National Portage Association.  Back then, our nursery children began school in the term of their fifth birthday, and we thought that was quite soon enough, we added some of the National Curriculum, to extend opportunities for children who excelled.  The old early years ‘frameworks’ (Desirable Learning Outcomes, Birth to Three Matters, the new Early Years Foundation Stage as was, revision of the EYFS 2012 and updates) were all interwoven into the Observational Journey as appropriate at the time.