Key stages and where my DS should be.

[MrBloomEatsVeggies]

Ok, so DS hasn't started school yet, he starts this Sept! Will the school tell me what DS should be achieving? A few parents on here have said that they didn't feel that their DC's were achieving/progressing enough, or that their DC's were doing really well.

How do you know where you DC should be? Do you rely on the teacher to tell you or compare with other parents? How do you know if he's being pushed too much/not enough. I have no idea where DS should be at the end of reception/year one and I can't find a definitive answer.

[lorisparkle]

Once they start school it is so hard to know how they are getting on but my opinion is that the important thing is that they enjoy going to school and enjoy learning. The teacher will let you know if they have concerns and you will get parents evenings to talk about progress but it is very hard to compare with other parents as children are such individuals. In the Early Years developing personal, social and emotional skills are so important.

Schools follow the Early Years Foundation Stage and if you look on the Department of Education website you will find lots of information on this. This guidance outlines what children should be achieving at different ages and what they should have achieved by the end of reception (end of Foundation Stage). Once they are into Year 1 and Year 2 they are into Keystage 1 and there are National Curriculum Levels for all subject levels and these can be found on the National Curriculum website. Since there has been the new government the websites are really changing so hopefully you will find the information.

Try not to worry!

[sarahfreck]

As an ex-teacher and current tutor, I would say...

1. Try not to compare too much with other children/parents. Some parents (and children!) are prone to either exaggerating or minimising their achievements! Unless you have a child genius or a child with serious special needs you will always find some children who are better at some things than your ds and vice versa!
   
   
2. As lori says there are Early Years ( Nursery and Reception) levels for different aspects of learning etc. A good teacher will be keeping records of what your child achieves throughout the year and will be able to fill you in at parents evening and in reports etc.
   
   Where should your child "be"...
   That's kind of a "how long is a piece of string" type question. There is so much to look at - of course basic literacy and numeracy skills but also social skills too as well as gross motor skills and so on! Every child's profile of skills will be slightly different. I'd go a lot on gut feeling.
   If your child seems happy at school, you can tell from the sounds/words/books he comes home from school with that he is making some progress and you haven't had lots of feedback from school about behaviour problems (and I mean lots- any child can have the odd blip!) then things are probably fine and don't worry!
   
   Rely on the teacher to let you know how he is progressing. They want to see children progress as much as you do. Most teachers are dedicated and professional. If you are uncertain about anything, then do ask. Again most teachers are really happy to help parents, tell you what you can do at home etc.
   
   IMO sometimes schools can be slow on picking up on specific special needs problems, but this is an exceptional circumstance so don't worry unless your child seems unhappy and/or you have that gut feeling that something is wrong. ( and even then it really might not be a problem!)

[MrBloomEatsVeggies]

Thankyou both for taking the time to reply, some really good advice and info. I'm trying not to worry about it all, but you know how it is .

Going to print out this thread so I've got it to refer to when I'm a bit lost (which I will be!). Thanks again.

[Mum2be79]

A child starting Reception 'should' be achieving the first 3 points on the EYFS Profile (1-9 points) on intake in September. In my experience, this varies a lot depending on the child's 'worldly experience', nursery provision, maturity (birth dates CAN affect a child's starting points in a lot of cases). Basically, not to worry about the starting points so much. If the Reception class is good, they'll assess your child's starting points thoroughly and plan activities to take your child forward so that he is achieving 'age related expectations' at the end of YR. This is usually about point 6 on the profile. Of my Y1 children, those who were achieving point 6 at the end of YR were achieving point 9/1c at the end of the autumn term and are currently about 1b/1a now - which is seen as 'age related' at the end of Y1.
My advice would be not to push but take a keen interest in your child's school day, be involved in school activities (PTA), complete any reading/spelling activities sent home, praise, reward and attend parents evening. In my experience it is children whose parents are involved that make the MOST progress.