REPORTING, PROFILING & TRACKING

Learner Profiling

Learning Journals Guidance for Staff

At Kellands School we use an online learning portfolio app called Learning Journals as part of our assessment and profiling approach, to help learners capture and share their learning.

Using Learning Journals is one tool which supports proportionate and manageable approaches to assessment, reporting and children leading learning.

Regular dialogue with children about their learning, supports the planning and assessment process. In turn, this approach also encourages children and young people to develop awareness of themselves as learners and supports them to recognise the skills for learning, life and work that they are developing, informing the planning of future learning.

Learning Journals can be accessed via the website –

https://kellands.yourlearningjournals.co.uk/Login.aspx.

It is compatible with Chromebooks, computers, iPads, iPhones, Android tablets, and Android phones.

When your school’s administrator has added you to the Learning Journals software, you will automatically receive an email with a link to create a password and a pin number.

Learning Journals at Kellands FIRST DRAFT 2023.docx

Teachers can download the Learning Journals Staff guidance above.

Parents can download the Learning Journals for Parents app via the Apple Store and Google Play. They just need an email and password and then they click 'Sign in'.

LJ-Parent-Guide.pdf

Teachers can download the Learning Journals Parent guidance above and pass on, if parents ask for further help.

The Purpose of Profiling Learning

Processes for assessment and reporting are manageable and very effective in informing improvements in learning and teaching (HGIOS4).

Children having a degree of ownership and autonomy around their profiling is an important aspect of our approach, supporting continuity and during transitions in learning.

Regular dialogue with children about their learning, supports the planning and assessment process. In turn, this approach also encourages children and young people to develop awareness of themselves as learners and supports them to recognise the skills for learning, life and work they are developing, informing the planning of future learning.

What does the Learning Journals interface look like?

Once logged in you will land at the dashboard, which gives you a navigation menu along the top with an overview and search options below.

You will most often be using the ‘children’ option on the navigation menu, which will bring you to a list of all the classes that you are attached to.

From there you can, choose the class by clicking on it and then all learners in the class will appear. You can then add a ‘story’ or ‘observation’ to a specific learner.

Organising the Learning Journals and Expectations

When recording learning for your pupils on Learning Journals, the two main functions are the Story function and Observation function. Together these form your learners’ profiles. Learning is not a linear process. When considering observation and profiling, it is useful to think about:

What does the profile tell me about this child?

Does the information in the profile tell me about this child’s progress over time?

Numbers of observations and story posts will vary. For example, in the early years, observations will form a huge part of assessment when considering learning through play, whereas in upper school, children will have increased autonomy and ability to independently input items/stories into their own profiles- therefore it is likely that the number of items will vary.

Please watch the video – How to Take an Observation

Each term staff should add a piece of targeted learning which gives a clear indication of progress at the child’s current level.

Each term there should be one learning item posted for each of the following: Literacy, Numeracy, HWB and Learning across the Curriculum – please choose a different area to showcase each term in Learning across the Curriculum.

These observations may be used to support tracking discussions and children’s progress over time.

Next steps in children’s learning should support the planning process. When considering next steps, it is sometimes useful to think of the next steps within these four categories:

Child development;

Extending an interest;

Embedding a learning point;

Personal, social and emotional development.

After clicking ‘next’ you will then be able to link the Observation to a specific learning outcome in the Curriculum for Excellence.

Please watch the video – How to Take a Story

A learning story should be something that the child and member of staff agree is a good reflection of their developing skills. Stories should be considered as snapshots of learning; they can be child led and they can be less formal than full observations (though the option is still there to add evaluative comments and next steps if you so wish). A story does not have to be linked to the curriculum.

It would be hoped that children should have at least one story posted in their Learning Journal profile per week in order to develop confidence and skills of children and staff in using the platform.

Class teachers will scaffold children’s learning comments to increase their awareness around the language of learning so that pupils can comment on their learning story with growing confidence and skills. This could be something built into excellence time or plenaries. In time, children will become more equipped to recognise and talk about their own learning.

Stories are also where you can quickly share content with parents. It might be a settling in story or a birthday party, a sports day or some other event.

HOW DO PROFILES SUPPORT PUPIL VOICE?

As children and staff develop confidence and familiarity using the profiling tools within Learning Journals, they will be encouraged to focus on posting work with increasing independence, particularly in the middle and upper stages of school.

Encouraging children to reflect on their learning is an important part of the process. The reflective learning skills posters are a useful tool to support children to consider high quality comments and are a useful tool for practitioner to model the language of learning. Children should be encouraged to post a piece of work and a comment.

How will learning profiles be quality assured and monitored?

Moderation of observations and profiles will be built into our collegiate calendar. Year groups should support one another to provide support and consistency during the usual times. Input from all teaching staff including visiting specialists will be a valuable part of developing the learning profiles.

The SLT will quality assure learning profiles in line with the quality assurance calendar.

WHO ARE LEARNING PROFILES FOR?

Learning profiles are first and foremost for our children to celebrate their skills and their unique learning journey, to give credit to our children and as a tool to consider next steps children’s progress over time. Sharing the profiles with the children from the early stages and beyond will be integral to them becoming an embedded tool within the setting.

Learning profiles will also be a useful tool in supporting transitions within and beyond the setting. Sharing learning with parents and carers will also be an important part of developing the learning profiles at Kellands.

WHAT IMPACT WILL LEARNING JOURNALS HAVE ON REPORTING?

Learning Journals will support the reporting process as we will be sharing the learning journey over time, in a more regular, open and transparent way.

Children’s profiles should support us in discussing progress and attainment, which will be part of our discussions around tracking and monitoring. Children will have greater ownership over their profiles and understanding of their learning and next steps. Learning profiles will be embedded within the planning, assessment, recording and reporting cycle.

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