The National Practice Model provides a framework for identifying and responding to children’s needs in Scotland.

The National Practice Model. Scottish Government, 2016

Excellent assessment in the Early Years should be:

• strengths-based – are you focusing on what the child can do, rather than can’t do?
• collaborative – are you working with child, with their family, with universal services such as Health Visitors, and with any specialist services who are involved, such as SLT,  to gather a complete picture of the child’s needs?
• child-centred – are you considering the child’s point of view and what is important to them?
• contextual – are you considering how your establishment’s environment may be affecting the child? Do you need more information about the child’s home life and local community to understand their needs better?
• ongoing – are you keeping your information up-to-date as the child grows and develops and their environment changes?

Gathering assessment information

Assessment should include information from lots of different sources. Some ways of gathering information include:

• Discussion with the child’s family and others who support the child
• Observations of the child
• Using tools to assess the EY environment, including the physical environment, the experiences on offer, and the quality of adult interactions, and how these factors can be used to support the child.

Recording assessment information

It is important to keep secure, dated records of assessment information. GCC establishments use the Early Years Wellbeing application system, part of SEEMIS EY, to record assessment information and create planning documents. FP establishments may have their own assessment recording frameworks, which should be based on the National Practice Model, or can use the Wellbeing and Assessment Profile (WAP)

Supporting Materials: 

Education Scotland have a bank of resources which can be worked through individually or as a staff group. Effective Observations Leading to Effective Assessment: Education Scotland

The Froebel Trust have a guide to observation based on Froebelian principles, as well as research and guides to using digital means of recording observations. Observing Young Children. Froebel Trust and Observation and Digital Documentation of Play. Froebel Trust

The CIRCLE framework offers a structured way of assessing the EY environment as well as individual children’s needs with a particular focus on language and literacy.  Up, up and away.CIRCLE

Training and information about using the Early Years Wellbeing application is available for GCC establishments. Early Years Pastoral Notes and Wellbeing support