No scores on end of Reception Report.

[minimathsmouse]

I have just received my son's (DS2) end of Reception Year report. Not only is most of the teacher assessment incorrect but it gives no scores.
From reading other threads I have deduced that almost all reports give a score from 1-9 in the various areas covered under EYFS.
I wondered if other parents from other schools had also received reports that do not include scores.
Also would be greatful if anyone has any ideas as to why some schools report scores and others don't.

No, I guess not. I just thought they were scored 1-9 against the points 1-9 in each strand. So this isn't the case?
I thought they were given a score for each of those strands and it was added up to be out of ..one hundred and something.

I should say, I teach juniors and my DS is in Y1 so not directly affected.

So What I am looking at with 13 strands and points 1-9 making possible total of 117 is not how it's scored?

Singersgirl, I agree that the info is not much use but what use is it to teachers then. Honestly? As you are saying, it's not always a true reflection so why use it?

The points can be achieved in any order (except point 9 which can only be awarded if all the previous 8 have been) so in a group of children could all could have a score of 6 but all be achieving different combinations of points

child 1 may have achieved points 1-6
child 2 points 1 2 3 5 7 8
child 3 points 1 2 3 4 6 7
child 4 points 1 2 3 6 7 8

usually a child will achieve points 1-3 before achieving points 4-8 (in any order) but occasionally this doesn't happen

child 5 points 1 3 4 5 7 8

you get the picture

archstanton Early years and Y1 teachers don't use raw scores they look at the actual achievements (the summary that is provided for parents in reports)

? Point scores are levels of achievement and not the points in the profile, i.e. a score of 6 does not mean profile 6, it means point 3, plus 3 aspects achieved of sections 4-8. Children with the same points score will therefore probably have a different level of achievement.

No scores & couldn't care less.

The report was interesting as it was a mix of Information about topics and activities the class have covered and comments about ds3. My only concern was that they might have overestimated ds3's reading ability.

Scores wouldn't have added anything at all.

Yes, that makes sense. So giving a child a level 6 means they have achieved 6 of the points? Is that correct? Though it may be a different 6points from any other given child.

I have actually taught Reception but before the EYFS was introduced. We had Stepping Stones IIRC. This sounds far more confusing.

I still don't see why schools wouldn't give out all the info with a corresponding sheet explaining as you just did. I do think it smacks a little of schools assuming parents are a little too thick uninformed to deal with these things.

yes that's correct (except it isn't a level 6).

Schools could explain but having a score of 6 and an explanation that your child's 6 doesn't mean the same as her friend's 6 is pretty useless information isn't it?

I suspect some parents are too competitive to deal with the information sensibly teachers would be caught in the middle.

Why would you want a score? Providing you get a decent description surely that's enough?

And more use.

I don't personally want a score. I just (as a teacher) feel we too often assume parents can't cope with information.

Mrz, not sure it would be entirely meaningless as I think it's reasonable to want to judge your child against national averages or expectations. With James, I didn't give a fig about how others in his class were achieving but if he'd scored 5s and the national average was 8 (I know it isn't) then I could take that into consideration when looking at his scores.

As a parent, if my child was scoring high academically but low socially, I'd really want to see that difference on paper. I'd be far less concerned if high socially but lower academically esp with DD2 as she's summer baby.

Saintlydame, parents' neurosis is not a valid reason for not sending out the profiles.

surely a child-centric report in reception (and any other year for that matter) is exactly what should be provided? points are so abstract and as others have said they will be assessed and scored for the rest of their time at school (at which point people will be on complaining about the amount of assessment...)

archstanton personally I hate the computer generated reports provided by many schools (my LA fortunately doesn't support these) which only provide parents with a list of ELGs. A personalise child centric report that states your child is working at/below/above national expectation and although I know he/she can recite numbers to 1000000000000 he/she isn't using this knowledge when counting the grains of sand in the sand pit ...yet! and although he/she has chosen War and Peace as a library book I'm afraid he/she hasn't yet demonstrated this obvious skill in school ... yet! would be more useful

We didn't get scores - I assumed that was normal for reception as from what I understand the school believes that the real purpose of reception is for the child to get acclimatized to and settled at school, develop social skills etc. That is certainly what I have been concerned about this year - plenty of time to worry about how dd is doing academically.
I presume if I wanted I could take her report and match up the phrases with the EYFS and work out what she would score, but I'm not sure I care - her report gave me the impression of a happy little girl who has settled in well and is enjoying learning.

and I really don't think it has anything to do with schools / teachers thinking parents won't understand. It is as I said that the scores are pretty meaningless to everyone even those schools and LAs who attempt to use them to predict future achievement

Yes, it's much more useful to know that your child understands how to read numbers but isn't very interested in writing them yet, that they're good (or bad) at sharing and that they've made progress with getting their shoes on the right feet.

When I stated child-centric, I was saying that all the activities and acheivements had been child led and very much things that he would access at nursery and at home. In fact in the case of my son who is a real social being, school is great and its all good fun! However I sent him to school believing he might be TAUGHT something, but I gather that isn't the way it works anymore!
His social needs have always been met and we have no worries on that score, I just resent sending him in for an accademic education that basically doesn't happen and the school collecting data on my son which they are then not prepared to share. WHY?

minimathsmouse he should have been taught skills/knowledge but in his profile he is expected to display those skills and understanding in child led "play" not in tests.

you seem to be confusing 13 numbers between 0 and 9 with data about your child which is what has been shared in the written summary that is your child's report. A summary of the skills and knowledge he is able to demonstrate in practical situations...

Why do schools make the assessments giving scores if they are not useful, not shared with concerned/interested parents, confusing and are of little real use in determining how your child might progress.
In the case of my son who's social skills are very well developed(if not, thats my responsibility!) Tieing shoelaces, isn't that what every parent should concern themselves with, you see I do a good job, what I want to know from a school report is what accademic progress has been made. That's why I send him to school.
I have been sent lists of words he must learn to write, reading lists, reading books etc,,, when I should be teaching shoe-laces and they should be concerned with teaching accademic skills its little wonder the school report doesn't give the very information I seek.
I'm driven to conclude it might have been more useful if I report to them his accademic progress and they send me a few lovely photographs of picnics and playdough.

The numbers are for the government to juggle and play with and set LAs and schools targets.

Unfortunately your son's social skills are also the responsibility of his teacher as it is part of a statutory curriculum that all children must follow. So while it remains a statutory requirement of the curriculum teachers must give equal consideration to welfare and learning. Whether this is the best use of a teacher's time/training/skills is open to debate. Many teachers are unhappy with what is essentially a day care curriculum

No scores on dd's Y1 end of year report. But excellent comments on each subject, which leave me satisfied that they know dd well - makes me v happy, and tbh I don't care much either way about the scores at this point.

That said, they mark each subject 'below expectation' 'meets expectation' or 'exceeds expectation' based on national standards (from teachers' assessment and testing throughout the year). Which I imagine gives as good an idea as scores, no?

I agree with mrsz's 19:49 post about what a useful reception report looks like.

Likewise I found ds2's KS1 SATS scores useless and pretty uninteresting and ds1's P scales utterly meaningless. I have to look them up every year to recall whether P1 or P5 is higher (and I've had 5 or 6 years to learn them now).

I find the written sections far more use - and of course talking to the teachers and seeing examples of work.

dd received her report last week and we were told she had got 9 in 4 areas of learning and 8 in 2 (the maths and literacy ones). Can anyone shed any light on what her overall profile score would be in this case?

In the areas where she scored 8, is it only the 9th point that she hasn't achieved, or could it be any other point?

Sorry, I'm confused!

cupofteaplease there are four literacy strands and three maths three personal, social and emotional development, oneknowledge and understanding of the world (although this includes science, history, georaphy, ICT, religious education, health education) one physical development and one creative development (although this covers music, dance, drama, art)so our guess is as good as anyone's.
To get a score of 8 your child has achieved the first 8 points - (even if a child was demonstrating the skills and knowledge in point 9 it couldn't be awarded if all the previous 8 haven't been awarded).