Possibly twattish question about P-scales

[WinterIsComing]

My DS aged 4.6 has been in a wonderful special school since September and he has been assessed at levels 5-7 for the different areas. I'm a former teacher myself but not for many years and they were introduced to break down the levels within the "working towards level 1" IIRC? There were only three in those days and because I worked in KS2 were mainly dealt with by the SENCO.

I am of course much more concerned that my son is happy, settled, enjoying school and has, to be honest, all the benefits of a private education with the weekly swimming, riding, small class sizes etc but I can't help wondering from a professional point of view how he is doing. I know it's all a load of rubbish but old habits die hard and I'm curious.

If the average child at a mainstream school is expected to get a level 2 by the end of KS1 then should he have a solid level W by the end of the reception year and is he likely to?

In my defence I didn't give a toss about DD's levels because she was bright and happy - still is, but she's failing academically (Yr 7) My son is autistic and has all that to cope with so I'd sort of like to know that he is doing okay.

Thanks in advance.

I'm only a TA in an early years class (nursery through to end of reception) in a Special school but he sounds like he's doing ok. In our class of 10 he'd be one of the higher P scale children, quite a few of whom are below that level at this point in the school year. Only 2 of our little ones have a diagnosis of autism though.

Winter,

As your child is in Reception, are you sure that he is being assessed against the P scales and not against the Early Years Foundation Stage points thingy?

Both, confusingly, go up to 8. There are 13 strands in the Early Years profile, with names like Physical Development, Numbers as Labels for Counting etc, whereas the P scales are in Reading, Writing, Maths.

I think you will find that if you ask your ds school they will have no idea what is expected progress. When I had concerns about my ds (ASD) special school and I looked back at his p levels over three years they had barely moved and in one area had gone backwards. The LA and school told me this was normal and were actually quite surprised that I even looked at them. With dd (ASD) I am looking closely at them not to be a PITA but because I think she is capable of making academic progress and I want the teachers in her school to focus on this. I understand however where you are coming from when you say you are happy he is settled. You can download them from dfes site though if you want to have a look and personally i would keep an eye on them.

I thought P scales are a 'W' broken down.

If he's a P7 he's not that far off a L1, so sounds like he's doing very well for reception!

Does he know what sound each letter of the alphabet makes?
Is he being taught to blend CVC words?
Can he count to 10?

If you tell us stuff like that, then the teachers here will be able to give you a better idea about how he's doing.....

Thanks for the replies.

It's a class of twelve and the children are all KS 1 so Reception to Yr 2.

He knows most initial sounds, missing two or three and knows they can be blended to make words (plays Alphablocks Cbeebies games on the laptop where you drag and drop letters) but can't do it with real words. That's what he needs to do next although his teacher says there's no rush. I'd like him to though so if you have any tips they'd be appreciated.

They don't use the EYF for assessment but presumably the curriculum is the same - it's very play-based and practical.

Hi, P scales are instead of a W as I understand it. A child could be given a W for a long time, especially if they have SEN, whereas P levels allow you to measure progress, even if it is in small steps. Your son should never be a W, he should go from a P8 to a 1C - I hope this helps xx

www.cesew.org.uk/uploads/documents/p_scales.pdf
This gives quite a useful breakdown for you

Oh - he can recite beyond twenty but that's all it is, doesn't have a concept that 23 is two tens and a three for example but yes he can reliably count objects to ten or bring me seven beads. I think Maths was the area he had a seven in.

I don't have a copy of the sheet yet as it was just a draft for his statement.

DD was SN in MS. She was working on p-scales (5-7) when she left Y6. She is now in Y9 in MS, and has made gobsmacking progress mostly in Y8. She is now working on NC lvl 3 /4 in most subjects - and has a secure level 5b in science. .

Winter - DD also has asd, but also had other problems, so her progress was even slower than most, plus, being in MS, she didn't get anywhere NEAR the level of help through primary as your DS will - so don't let DD's lack of progress through pprimary scare you - I was just trying to show you that even someone who leaves Y6 on p-scales can have a sudden leap in attainment, as DD has.

I am of no help to you OP. I only want to tell you that Reception is not KS1, Y1 & Y2 are. Reception & Nursery are EYFS and by the end of reception an average child has 6s (they go up to 9) from what they had told us. I am glad everyone else has good news for you :)

Oh thanks all

Yes, R isn't KS1 it has been a while and I was KS2-based anyway.

Glad your DD is making such astounding progress now Hunty and cheers Katy for the p-scale document.

Special schools often use P scales or other alternative assessments rather than the EYFS profile in reception so if your son is working at either P5-7 or EYFS scale points 5-7 he is doing exceptionally well.

wow hunty, that is incredible! how awesome for you and dd!

P 5-7 in reception, with SEN, along with the things you say he can do, sounds like he's doing very well :)

Also cansu, thanks. Sorry to hear of your experiences and I will keep an eye on progress made.

I'm ^particularly pleased with the level 5's for science, as at the end of Y8, she was predicted level 4c at the end of this term...she is secure level 5b, so blowing even the teacher prediction out of the water. . Let's just hope she carries on making progress...