Do nurseries share information about children with their intended primary school?

[SnowPetrel]

Just this, really: and if they do, what sort of information? And presumably parents are able to "opt out" of the information being shared? Would be grateful if anyone can tell me.

Thank you - it is good to get an idea. We haven't got that far in nursery yet. I don't see many of those as relevant to my child's education and many of them as personal things I would not want written on a file about myself. It is horrible labeling and recording how someone interacts socially, for example, or reacts emotionally! I don't like the idea that childcare providers can write down their views of a child like that and it be on record for someone's life. I don't like it in general - too much state interference. Also in our case, my child's keyworker seems to have very limited emotional and social understanding (I could write a report on her very limited emotional and intellectual level!), which could affect the way she perceives the children in her care. Her limitations are very annoying, but not so bad that they affect my child adversely enough for me to want to choose another nursery. They are bad enough, however, that I think she might end up with some false perspectives. She does not seem to understand when I explain to her where she has misunderstood or misinterpreted things, either, so being able to discuss and alter things in the report would probably not get very far.

You had better keep your child out of school til Year 1 if you don't want them following the early years curriculum.

If you choose to use a registered childprovider then unfortunately you are also agreeing that your child will follow the EYFS. just as when they start school they will follow the national curriculum.
AS part of the EYFS each provider is obliged to pass on info to the next provider. in the case of the transition into reception class, it is a legal obligation for the nursery / childminder to write a transition document teling the school what sort of level the child is at.
You will be given space on the document for your own comments.
I suppose you could pull your lo out of nursery for a month or so before they start school, in which case you can ask for your child's information yourself then choose whether to pass it on or not.
But, basically, there is no opt out, there is provision for you to write on the transition document; you can write your own transition document for the school if you like! the nursery will be bollocked by OFSTED if they say they have not done a transition document 'cos the parent didn't want them to.

elfen the Eyfs starts at birth so you will have 'reached that stage in nursery' from the moment your child started.

They can and will pass on information and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

There is always a verbal handover as well as notes, in my experience.

We write a transition report. This is similar to the report cards which they receive at school. A copy goes to the school the child is going to and a copy to the parent.

In my last job we the EYP's did a baseline test, same as what they did in school, before they go to school to show what may have improved. Not sure how my current job do it.

FWIW the transition from nursery to school for my son was brilliant and i think that was partly due to the liaison between the 2 organisations. He was a late summer baby, youngest in class, and quite shy. Teachers met the kids at nursery, kept an extra eye out for him and were prepared to support him when he arrived. Maybe they would have worked it out themselves without nursery input but i don't think it hurt.

Op - I'd just like to say that I agree totally with what you are saying regarding the intrusive and possibly inaccurate notes sometimes kept by nurseries.

My dc is very introverted by nature but also extremely bright. She interacts well with other bright kids though but in the hurly burly of nursery would often prefer to work on her own.

Her keyworker (a nursery nurse) made a lot of comments about her lack of interaction citing lack of empathy with other kids and even hinting at aspergers.

It was just lucky I spoke to the headteacher when I did - she said she though my dc was just extremely bright and her behaviour nothing particularly unusual - and also pointed out that none of the nursery were trained to make diagnosis anyway. However, the notes made by the keyworker are still presumably on dc's file :(