Nursery Development Record

[Hulababy]

DD was 3 yesterday and nursery have sent home a developmental record (for children aged 3 years plus) for us to complete. It is so long - with loads of boxes to read through andd tick is she is able to do them. It seems so comprehensive - it goes up to pre-school achievements. Covers everything:

• personal, social and emotionsal (disposition & attitudes, social development, emotional development)
• communication, olanguage and literacy (language for comminucating and thinking, linking sounds and letters, reading, writing)
• mathematical development (numbers as labels and for counting, calculating, shape space and measure)
• knowledge and understanding of the world
• physical development
• creative development

It has really made me think of all the things she has learnt to do over the past 3 years - my baby is growing up!

Not sure if I should be happy or sad, or a combination of both!

Be happy- when we had to fill in those for ds1 at 3 half the things were at a 12 month level!

Why do you have to fill it in? Just wondering because the 6 areas you mention are the areas of learning Nursery and Reception classes teach. They work as a system of steps until by the time they leave reception they should achieve the final statements. I would have thought they should be reporting to you!

IN ds1's case we used to do it together (he's autistic so not always easy to know what he can and can't do). Generally we agreed. In ds2's case the nursery review him regularly and call me in to tell me.

We do a comparative report for dd's playgroup too. Have various categories focussing on such as gross motor skills, fine motor, creativity, social skills, independence and so on. We fill it in at end of each half term with ouur comments to which playgroup leader adds hers. Usually they agree !! She has been there 18 months now so it is interesting to comapre over that time but every few months gets a bit monotonous.

dd starts school in the Autumn so we'll probably be into uniforms, proper reports, full day timetables - eek !!

I am unsure why you are filling this in. Surely your nursery should be doing this to get the funding grant!

I work in nurseries. The areas above the the stepping stone put down by the government to gade a childs ability. If a child is getting their funding places the nursery have to fill this information in for each child and then pass it onto the school they attend. The school then is suppose to add to it but in fact they normally start again as the reception class work with 2 circulum, the stepping stones and working/starting Key stage 1.

Hope this helps explain the system.

Agree with MaryP0p1, is it the government profile they have sent home to you to fill out? The nursery should have been collecting evidence of what they can do any cross referencing it on to the profile. Or is it a form the nursery have devised themselves to help them fill in the profile?

The record is suppose to be a record of what the nursery have observed NOT what the parents have observed.

it drives me mad, is he in yellow blue green or grey?????

I dont know, who gives a flying F*ck!

We filled it in for the parent's thoughts. They also fill in a copy. They then use both versions for their decision making and target setting, etc. I don't mind filling it in at all and I like the fact that they trust us to make sensible judgements on our own child's development - and to realise that parents play an (much more so than just nursery) important role in learning too.

I work in a nusery and these are the areas that we are supposed to cover in nursery. They are part of the early learning curriculum.

I figured that; just thought it was nice to have parental input included. I now know of a fair few nurseries that also ask parents for input too.

Point of my post wasn't that I was concerned abou filling it in - it just made me realise how much DD has learnt in her 3 years, and how much she has changed and developed. And how she isn't a baby anymore.

I remember that feeling. When dd turned 3 last year, I can distinctly remember a feeling of total awe, that by 3 they are so developed. I'm already waiting for that milestone for ds, who's only just 2! Maybe it's that their personality is so apparent then - I don't know

I think it is nice that the nursery want your input on her development...after all you do know her best

I know what you mean about not knowing whether to feel happy or sad. It is a bit of both I think - proud that your baby has learnt to do all these things, but sad because they will never be that leiitle baby or toddler again...