Group Observations

Footsteps 2 now includes the ability to record group observations. To keep things simple we have made the process of creating a group observation exactly the same as when you create an observation for a single child. 

To create an observation for a group of children, do the following:

1.  Select the children you want to include in the group observation. Refer to the article Selecting Children for an Observation for help with this.
   This will open the Group Observation form.
   
   
   
   
2.  Select the observation date; this will automatically show today's date but you can backdate the observation if necessary.
   
3.  Select the observation type; you will be able to choose between an 'Adult-Led Activity' and a 'Child-Initiated Activity':
   
   
   
    If you are recording an observation based on a carer's account of an activity or milestone which took place at home, you can select 'Home Observation' as the observation type.
   
   
4.  Enter a description of what you observed.
    If you are using a device with a microphone you are able to enter the description using voice-input. 
    Please be aware that this may not be 100% accurate and is based on your device's ability to translate your voice into text.
   
   
5.  In the 'Photos & Videos' section you are able to capture a photo or video using the device's camera, or upload any photo or video which has been saved to the device. 
    For each photo/video uploaded, you are able to choose whether it is shared with the children's carers in Parent Portal by clicking/tapping on on the 'Show in Parent Portal' toggle.
    Accepted file formats are: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, AVI, FLV, WMV, MOV and MP4. 
   
   
6.  At this point you can complete the observation by clicking/tapping on the arrow next to the 'Save and Continue' button and choosing the 'Complete Observation' option:
   
   
   
    Alternatively, you can create a draft, which you can finish later, by choosing the 'Save as Draft' option, or you can continue through the remaining sections of the form to add links to the EYFS, enter the children's Characteristics of Effective Learning, set their levels of Wellbeing and Involvement and create their next steps.
   
   

Section 2: Learning (EYFS)

The 'Learning' section of the form is where you are able to select which EYFS areas/aspects were covered in the observation.

 In a group observation there are two ways of selecting the EYFS that was covered:

1. Set a Group Level
   Allows you to set the same level (Emerging, Developing or Secure) for a selected development matter for all children in the observation.
2. Set Individual Levels
   Allows you to select different development matters and levels (Emerging, Developing or Secure) for each child in the observation. 

1.  To link the observation to the EYFS, click/tap on an EYFS area button and then click/tap on an EYFS aspect button. For example:
   
   
   
   
2.  Click/tap on the age band which the children are working at; the selected age band will expand to reveal each of the EYFS development matters.
   
3.  If you have observed all children working at the same level for a development matter you can set a 'New Group Level' by clicking/tapping on the 'E' button to set their levels as emerging, 'D' to set their levels as developing, or 'S' to set their levels as secure. For example:
   
   
   
   
4.  If the children you have observed are working at different levels, you can set a 'New Individual Level' for each child by clicking/tapping on the 'Show Individuals' button underneath each development matter statement:
   
   
   
   For each child you can see their age on the date of the observation and the level they were last observed at to help you make an informed decision about what their new level should be for this observation.
   
   
5.  To set a 'New Individual Level for each child simply click/tap on the 'E' button to set their level as emerging, 'D' to set their level as developing, or 'S' to set their level as secure. If you have not observed a child demonstrating the selected matter you can simply leave the 'E', 'D', 'S' buttons blank and no level will be set for that child.
   
   
   
   Once you have finished setting individual levels, you will notice that the 'New Group Level' buttons will be coloured based on the levels you have set with a badge to show the number of children observed at each level.
   
   
6.  Once you have finished linking the EYFS you can complete the observation by clicking/tapping on the arrow next to the 'Save and Continue' button and choosing the 'Complete Observation' option:
   
   
   
   Alternatively, you can create a draft, which you can finish later, by choosing the 'Save as Draft' option, or you can continue through the remaining sections of the form to enter the children's Characteristics of Effective Learning, set their levels of Wellbeing and Involvement and create their next steps.

Section 3: Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL)

The CoEL section of the form is where you are able to select any Characteristics of Effective Learning you have seen the children demonstrate during the observation.

In a group observation there are two ways of selecting the CoEL that was covered:

1. Select the same characteristics for all children in the observation
   OR
2. Select characteristics individually for each child in the observation
   

1.  To add Characteristics of Effective Learning to the observation, click/tap on a CoEL area button and then click/tap on a CoEL aspect. For example: 
   
   
   
   
2.  If you have observed all children demonstrating the same characteristics you can simply select the relevant statements by clicking/tapping on the checkboxes next to them. For example:
   
   
   
   
3.  If the children you have observed are demonstrating different characteristics, click/tap on the 'Show Individuals' button underneath each statement to select the relevant children:
   
   
   
   
4.  Once you have finished selecting CoEL you can complete the observation by clicking/tapping on the arrow next to the 'Save and Continue' button and choosing the 'Complete Observation' option.
   
   
   
    Alternatively, you can create a draft, which you can finish later, by choosing the 'Save as Draft' option, or you can continue through the remaining sections of the form to set the children's levels of Wellbeing and Involvement and create their next steps.

Section 4: Leuven Scales of Wellbeing & Involvement

The Leuven Scales section of the form is where you are able to set levels of wellbeing and involvement for all children in the group.

In a group observation there are two ways of selecting the children's levels of wellbeing and involvement:

1.  Apply the same levels to all children in the observation
    OR
2.  Apply different levels for each child in the observation 

If all children in the group have the same levels of wellbeing and involvement set, you will see a level selected on the scales (see example above). If the children in the group have different levels of wellbeing and/or involvement you will see a message displayed above the scales and no level will be selected. For example: 

1.  To set levels of wellbeing and involvement for each child in the group, click/tap on the 'Show Individuals' button underneath each of the scales:
   
   
   
   
2.  To change or set a child's level of wellbeing or involvement, simply click/tap on a number on each scale. 
    If you feel there is no change in a child's levels of wellbeing or involvement simply leave their scales on the same level.
    If you are lowering a child's level of wellbeing or involvement, an alert will be displayed asking you to confirm your changes. For example:
   
   
   
   
3.  Once you have finished reviewing/setting levels of wellbeing and involvement, you can complete the group observation by clicking/tapping on the arrow next to the 'Save and Continue' button and choosing the 'Complete Observation' option:
   
   
   
   Alternatively, you can create a draft, which you can finish later, by choosing the 'Save as Draft' option, or you can continue to the last section of the form to create next steps for all children in the group.

Section 5: Next Steps

The Next Steps section of the form is where you are able to create next steps based on what the children have achieved during the current observation.

1.  If you would like to set a target completion date range for the next steps, select a date range.
    This field can be left blank if there is no specific date range for the next steps to be worked on / completed by.
   
   
2.  Enter a description of the group's next steps
    If you are using a device with a microphone you are able to enter the description using voice-input. 
   Please be aware that this may not be 100% accurate and is based on your device's ability to translate your voice into text. 
   
   
3.  If you have enabled the 'Automatically Suggest Next Steps' feature on the Settings page, the system will suggest next steps for all children in the group, based on the EYFS levels you set on the Learning section of the form, when you click/tap on the 'Apply Suggestions' button. Please refer to the Suggested Next Steps article for more information.
    
   
4.  Click/tap on the EYFS area button which you would like to set next steps for and then click/tap on an EYFS aspect button.
   
   
    
   
5.  Click/tap on an age band to reveal the development matters:
   
   
   
   
6.  If you want all children in the group to work towards achieving the same next steps, you can set a 'Group Planned Level' for a development matter by clicking/tapping on the 'E' button to set their levels as emerging, 'D' to set their levels as developing, or 'S' to set their levels to secure.
   Please note: You will not be able to set a next step at a level which is lower than a child's 'New Level' or 'Last Observed Level' e.g. if a child's 'New Level' is set to 'Developing' you will not be able to create a 'Planned Level' of 'Emerging' as this level has already been achieved.
   
   
7.  If the children in the group are working at different levels, you can set an 'Individually Planned Level' for each child by clicking/tapping on the 'Show Individuals' button underneath each development matter:
   
   
   
    For each development matter you are able to see the level each child was last observed at, along with the level you have set for them during this observation; this will help you to make an informed decision about what their next steps should be.
   
   
8.  For each of the development matters that you want to set next steps for, click/tap on the 'E' button to set a child's level to emerging, 'D' to set their level to developing, or 'S' to set their level to secure. 
    If you do not want to create a next step for one or more children in the group, simply leave the 'E', 'D', 'S' buttons blank.
   
   
9.  If you have set any 'Individually Planned Levels' you will notice that the 'Group Planned Level' buttons will be coloured based on the levels you have set with a numbered badge to show how many children have next steps at each level. For example:
   
   
   
   
10.  Once you have finished creating next steps for the group, you can complete the observation by clicking/tapping on the 'Complete Observation' button.
    
    
    Alternatively, you can create a draft, which you can finish later, by clicking/tapping on the arrow next to the 'Complete Observation' button and choosing the 'Save as Draft' option.

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