Please come reassure me re EYFS Points

[WannabeNigella]

Hi,
Had parents evening last night and was given DS scores for the Early Learning Goals. He isn't 5 until March and is in Reception.
Can anyone give me any info on these scores? I know they can score between 1-9 and that they don't necessarily have to do them in order but I was a bit concerned that a couple of his scores have actually gone down compared to what he was scored at the Day Nursery he attended (his key worker there was actually a qualified Primary School Teacher too).
What score is actually expected of them on average by the time they complete reception?
Anything else I should know about?
Thanks

It shouldn't be an issue as the DfE has stated many times there is no correlation and profile scores should not be used to predict future attainment Marymaryalittlecontrary

It is currently not possible to use EYFS profile data to calculate a numerical statement of ?value added? during the EYFS year. This exercise would not take
into account the child?s individual starting point or the fact that each child learns at a varying rate and pace that may fluctuate across the year according to many factors. Neither is it possible to make predictions about children?s future attainment as there is no correlation between EYFS profile data and key stage 1 or 2 outcomes or national curriculum levels.
orderline.education.gov.uk/gempdf/144590750X/Factsheet_FSP_QA_v6aWO.pdf

It shouldn't be an issue mrz but I've worked in more than 1 school that has purposely kept the EYFS scores low because they think it will make the school look better when the children achieve well in Year 6.

www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/key-topics/curriculum/foundation-stage-profile-and-target-setting/

There is NO reliable statistical correlation between EYFS Profile attainment and NC KS1 at national level.

the message is clear enough ... even the head teacher's union has called the idea nonsense

Mrz, sadly it doesn't stop SIPs and LAs and assorted pre-Ofsted 'advisors' doing exactly that analysis on a school's data (we don't go up to year 6 being in a 3 tier area so they are desperate for data to analyse having no Year 6 SATs) and using it as a stick to beat the school with. They take the 'baseline' as being what we receive from a pre-school setting (or 0 in the case of the one third or so of our children who have not attended any pre-school education), and calculate value added. ..... and then state than a child receiving the 'expected' level at the end of the EYFS should achieve an average level (2b) at the end of Year 2.

We have actually printed a copy of your last link to keep in the data file to show any and all of the above..... will do the same for your first link too as apparently the NAHT 'cannot be seen as independent as it would tend to support Head teachers in putting a positive spin on the school's performance' [I quote].

My understanding is that research shows pretty consistently that children put in lower streams perform lower than if they had, with the same starting ability, been put in a higher stream. Surely if it makes no difference which class a child ends up in they would be assigned randomly?
As a secondary teacher that prefers setting instinctively I don't actually like that research. However I know that with older kids If I have some that are a bit weaker in a stronger class they tend to be pulled up. There must be a converse of this. Thats why my own gut instinct was to prefer for my dd to go into the higher age group when we had the same situation at dd's school. If you thought your ds was really struggling that would be different.

Actually teacherwith2kids it does stop SIPs and LA advisors in their tracks if you quote the statutory documents I've done it on the advice of the people who actually produced the profile.

rollergirl, you are correct in that nursery staff will use the EYFS profile for reference but they will be tracking children in a different way, usually through stepping stones which build up to the profile points. The data is not collected until Reception, usually at three points, October, Feb and June.

lulurose they shouldn't be using the EYFS profile for nursery aged children in any way they should be using developmental matters to track childrens progress!!!

The Stepping Stones were part of the previous curriculum ( pre 2008)

Hi mrz, not sure why you're emphasising "any". Don't wish to split hairs but development matters is non stat guidance and is interpreted in many different ways by different settings. Some LAs have clung onto stepping stone style tracking sheets as the found them useful, if you don't assume all children will make progress in a linear pattern of course. It goes without saying nursery teachers and EYs practitioners have to keep one eye on the EYFS profile......our setting is N and R combined. Its not a case of one size fits all.

Our setting is also a FSU but we don't use the profile except to record end of EYFS for reception children as is the statutory requirment. DCSF -DfE guidance is clear that the profile is not for nursery age children although I am aware it is often misused.

Wow, great to hear how differently othe FSUs operate. We had Ofsted last term and EYFS came out as a strength of the school grade 1 so we must be doing something right! Right off to enjoy half term with my DDs, spend enough time on this sort of stuff in term time. Enjoy!

because Ofsted really know

and I'm saying that even though our FSU has consistently been considered a strength in the last four ofsted visits...however we were fortunately advised by the Programme Leader for the EYFS Profile at the then National Assessment Authority ...

Not just Ofsted, external verification from SI team too and rigourous borough moderation. Go and have a break and stop setting yourself up as a resident education expert and berating anyone who dares to have a different opinion/experience to you, oh, and, ;)

!

I'm not setting myself up as anything sorry you feel threatened by official guidance

Threatened, nope. Laughing yes

Seriously, loosen up a bit and get off here once in a while....there's a life out there, its half term fgs.

I hate misinformation ...

Wow, still here?

Such dedication.

Suggest you widen your skills and knowledge base before dishing out advice, going through 4 Ofsted inspections in one setting doth not an expert make, just an expert in your one setting, and after all, what the hell do Ofsted know!

I think I said that earlier
and thanks for your concern but I've got lots of skills and experience both in teaching and the big wide world and I'm not claiming to be an expert ... just able to read.

Not concerned at all. Please just try not to be so dismissive of others, listen more....lifelong learning and all that. Leaving this thread well alone now, just re read some of your replies both to me and to many others and think how you might come over at times. Have some time out and enjoy the rest of half term.

as I also said earlier I don't like misinformation