I sat on the sofa, nervously checking the clock and awaiting the knock at the door. I was very much aware of being “in the parents’ shoes” for the first time. Over the years, I had experienced many home visits as a Reception teacher. I knew what to expect - even so, I found myself cleaning the house and telling my child not to hide behind the sofa (the very same things I always try to reassure parents not to worry about).

Like most parents experiencing the build-up to the milestone of their first child starting school, I felt a mixture of excitement, nerves and high expectations.

My biggest hope for the outcome of the visit was to hear reassurance that my daughter would have the best start to school. Within a couple of minutes, that hope was replaced by disappointment when the conversation turned to the induction. I casually enquired: “I was wondering, who will her key person be?”

This was greeted with confusion. “Key person?” asked the teacher.

Perhaps they called it something else. I explained, using the early years foundation stage statutory framework: “Each child must be assigned a key person. Their role is to help ensure that every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for the child and build a relationship with their parents.”

“Erm … no … we don’t do that at this school,” came the reply.

To hear this response made my heart sink. And since then I have come across many other schools that don’t implement a key-person system. Lots of schools, in fact, seem to have no awareness that this is what they should be doing, and the inspectorate, Ofsted, does not seem to pick up on its absence. This needs to change.

Why is a key person important?

A key-person approach is at the heart of good, child-centred practice.

Implementation of this system is about providing for children’s emotional development and building relationships with parents, both of which are crucial starting points, and are not to be underestimated.

The key-person system describes a practice strongly influenced by attachment theory. We know that secure attachments are needed to support children’s emotional wellbeing and reduce levels of anxiety. It is vital to offer nurture to our youngest children, whether in school or nursery, and for vulnerable children in particular (Key Persons in the Early Years, Elfer, Goldschmied and Selleck, 2011).

The relevance of this theory is further reinforced by the Leuven Scales (developed by Professor Ferre Laevers), which were introduced to schools in recent years by Early Excellence through its popular Baseline model (2015). The assessment tool rightly makes emotional wellbeing a key focus when assessing young children in the first few weeks of school.

The rationale underlying this approach is that, once children demonstrate high levels of wellbeing and involvement, we see progress leading to deep-level learning.

In my experience, having a key-person system makes a significant difference to many aspects of early years teaching. Children settle quickly and show that they are happy and comfortable in their surroundings. We begin to work closely with parents from the outset. We get to know each and every child as an individual, allowing us to really “tune in” to their interests and motivations. This knowledge is powerful when planning for children and making accurate assessments.

We also notice a real difference in the level of participation for speaking, particularly with children who are more reluctant to speak.

How we do it

As the early years leader at St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School, I have worked to continually develop the key-person system in the Reception classes and nursery. We have identified a key person for every child, and the approach is an integral part of the induction process and daily practice. In particular, working to fine-tune the key-person system in the nursery has been beneficial for planning and assessment.

Staff have responded well, as they know the children so much better. They value the principles of the approach. As part of our daily routine, the key person (teacher or teaching assistant) arrives on the playground each morning to greet the children. Staff are available to talk to parents for five-to-10 minutes. This avoids the long queue of parents all waiting to speak to one teacher.

Children also have daily key-group time together, as a short session. The groups consist of about 12 children. We use the time together for a variety of learning opportunities: sharing stories, songs, talking time, outdoor hunts and library visits.

Recently, we have been brainstorming ideas for mini-topics with the children. We are working on developing the adult “co-researcher” role. We noticed that there were some really good discussions with the children about what they had been doing in “discovery” time. It offers a valuable opportunity to evaluate in a small group.

The main aspects of our approach are:
 

• The key person carries out home visits (with a focus more on building relationships than on paperwork).

• We provide photos of the key person before children start school.

• We ensure that both the children and parents know who the key person is.

• We organise the routine to allow for children to spend time daily as a key group.

• We ensure that each key person has daily contact with parents.

• Information on individual children from each key person feeds into planning.

• Key-group time is flexible and we always aim for it to be fun.

The approach doesn’t need to be complex. It is about valuing the principles and making a start. Small changes to your practice and induction process can make a big difference to your children.

Helen Pinnington is early years foundation lead at St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Bedhampton, Hampshire