Getting Started Guide: EYFS Teachers
Learning Ladders is a unique online and in-class teaching, assessment and parental engagement system that brings together students, teachers and parents to improve children’s learning.
Learning Ladders offers an all through system from EYFS to Secondary. This guide is specifically to support EYFS teacher users in getting started with the EYFS module of Learning Ladders. The EYFS module provides separate, Foundation stage appropriate tools with all the benefits of remaining within one joined up whole school system. Read about our approach to EYFS here.
The Learning Ladders Lead at your school can support you with the following steps:
Getting Started
Step 1 - Amend your Password
Your Password sent in your welcome email will be randomly generated so please select something memorable. Click hereto see how to change the password. If you already have a login for the KS1+ Learning Ladders module then your password will remain the same.
Step 2 - Use Google Chrome and Add Learning Ladders as a bookmark
We recommend all our members use Google Chrome browser and add Learning Ladders as a bookmark in the bookmarks bar. You can download Google Chrome here and understand how to set up a bookmark by following this link.
Step 3 - Ensure that you've familiarised yourself with your school's assessment policy
Learning Ladders' EYFS module provides separate assessment settings to the rest of the school. This is to reflect the unique assessment requirements within the EYFS and allows assessment to provide an accurate reflection of assessment in this phase.
Within the EYFS module half termly and termly professional judgements are entered for assessment. (Read about professional judgements here). For this reason the EYFS module does not use 'Milestones' but has unique progress and attainment descriptors to align with each school's assessment policy.
To view the attainment and progress descriptors set by your school's admin user click on 'Assessment' and view the options for attainment and progress judgements.
It is useful to consider what each descriptor means as a team e.g. 'at risk', 'above age related' These are all questions which should be answered in your school's assessment policy.
Step 4 - View your EYFS Curriculum Ladders
Your school's admin user has created Curriculum Ladders for EYFS. Click on 'Ladders' to view the curriculum. Within each 'Ladder' there are 'rungs' which are the statements. Statements are arranged in year groups: Reception, Nursery, Pre-School.
Some statements have 'Notes' and 'Resources' against them which are there to support teachers with their CPD. Some notes are from the Framework guidance or Early Years specialists and others are your own school's guidance notes
Your 'Ladders' Curriculum is a working document and changes can easily be made by your school's admin user to reflect your curriculum development.
Step 5- Explore the Observations Upload tool
Observations can be uploaded for individual or groups of children by clicking on 'Observations' on the green menu bar. Read about observations here.
Suggested conversations to have with your team include:
- How often will you upload observations onto Learning Ladders?
- Will you associate each observation to an Area of Learning or exact statement?
- What tags will you use to filter observations? You can create your own tags e.g. Prime area
- Will you share observations with parents through Ladders at Home parent portal?
- How often will you share observations, as it is uploaded (appears on parent portal 2 hours later) or released on a set date).
- What types of observations will you collect? (Learning Ladders allows teachers to upload photographs, videos, audio files, plain text)
- Will you enable 2 way conversations around observation sharing?
Step 5 - Decide on how to engage your pupils and parents
Whether you use the professionally designed pupil booklets or export your rungs in the Observation Map, involve your pupils in the discussion about their learning.
An integral part of EYFS is the relationship built between school and parent and the insights from contributions at home. Read through the EYFS: Launching Ladders at Home Guide to learn about setting up Ladders at Home (our parent portal) and find out about 2 way communication and evidence sharing.
On-going use of Learning Ladders
Using the Observation Map
The Observation Map allows you to clearly see any gaps and patterns in observations collected of pupils. This supports teachers in planning for future learning opportunities in learning environment plans as well as possible adult led sessions.
The Observation Map provides a great springboard for conversation around gaps in provision, observation focuses and patterns of behaviour within the class. This supports teachers in planning for future learning opportunities, feeding in to learning environment plans and planning for adult led sessions.
To access simply click on ‘Observation Map' in the green navigation bar.
Please note: as no observations will have been uploaded, when you first use this tool this will appear with 0 for every rung and 0 for all ladders. Once observations have started to be recorded you can use this to effectively plan your next steps.
Using Assessment Summary
Assessment Summary is a simple yet powerful reporting tool that provides a useful basis for conversations with your teams and Senior leaders about progress and attainment in your class.
View your pupil's progress or attainment judgements as a pie chart, bar chart or table view and filter your data by pre-set or custom attributes (SEN, EAL, Boys/Girls etc.) to ensure that all individuals make progress.
The multi-subject report is particularly useful to compare attainment and progress across particular Areas e.g. Prime Areas.
Online
There is an extensive Help Centre for Learning Ladders, which can be accessed at any time. Towards the top right of any page in Learning Ladders, click 'Help' to access the extensive help centre, or you can click the '?" towards the bottom right to access the help articles.
If you can't find the answer or have an issue, from the Help Centre you can raise a ticket and our support team will look straight into it and get back to you.
You can also use the contact us form, which is available on the website.
Telephone or email
We can also be contacted via telephone (+44 (0) 20 3637 055) or email (support@learningladders.info) if you have any support issue regarding Learning Ladders
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