Starting point: EYFS 2012 & Development Matters 2021

When a child starts your nursery, you will want to add a Starting Point. Click Children > Child > Learning > Framework.

You will see a blank Framework with filters across all 7 areas of learning and across birth -to the early year goals.

You will also see a Key across the top. Starting point, Emerging, Developing & Secure. The ones we will take a look at for your Starting Point are SP & E.

Starting Point: By marking a statement as a Starting Point on Blossom, this will inform the platform that the child has secured this statement.

For example Joe Smith is 9 months old and is sitting up independently on this first settling in session with mum, in my professional opinion, Joe has secured this statement therefore I am confident to mark it off as a Starting Point. The other option is ...

Emerging: You can use Emerging instead of Starting Point. By using Emerging, you are informing the platform that the child has carried out this statement in their settling in period but they are not secure.

For example Joe Smith is 9 months old and appears to be sitting up independently, but, as it’s only the first settling in session with mum, using my professional opinion I can not confidently say Joe is secure.

Both work well and it really is a matter of nursery process. To summarise: Starting Point marks a child as secure and Emerging allows you to say, I’ve seen the child carry out the statement but it is too early to say if they are secure.

Once you have decided which option works best for you, click the edit pencil and mark the statements for a child’s baseline.

After each column, you will be prompted to save your work by clicking the Tick.

After your settling in period, (this can range from weeks to months) you will want to create a Starting Points Report. This will be the first report that appears in your Cohort Tracking.

Click onto Formative Reports > Create > select Starting Point & add the period of time you are assessing.

For example: Joe Smith has been settling in from 1st January - 1st February and I have marked 20 statements across the prime areas as Starting Points.

Once generated, this report will show you an overview of the settling in period.

You

You can use the filters to find reports specific to particular rooms, report type ( formative report, 2-year check report and transition report), assessment frequency, term and report status ( approved, draft or pending approval).

You may export reports by clicking on the Export button. You can select all or individual formative reports to download and then select a manager or administrator to send the PDFs to. Once you have made your selection simply click Export.