Do all schools mark their reception reports in the same way? - feeling a bit deflated!

[averywoomummy]

I got DDs reception report today and feel a little bit deflated. She got all expected except one which was emergent. I wouldn't expect her to get exceeding in everything but one or two would have been lovely especially in communication and understanding which I think have always been really strong points with her (and in fact her teachers said at open evening that she was working at a year 1 level in these).

I'm a bit more bemused because a friend with a DD at a different school says her child got every category as exceeds. I know the DD well and would have said that her and my DD are fairly equal development wise so was wondering how much consistency there is across the schools in terms of deciding on grades?

My head says I am being silly and that I should be pleased that she is where she should be...but my heart wishes there had been just one exceeds!

[gintastic]

Perinelli - my DD had all that in the blurb for the maths bits but only an "expected" mark!

She got 7 exceeding, 8 expected and 2 emerging. I couldn't be more proud of her :-)

[mixedmamameansbusiness]

Our reports are due Monday. Ds2 is progressing well as far as I can tell but I am aware he is likely emerging and maybe expected as DS1 was/is usually exceeding and I can see the difference. As a previous poster said I will be looking for individual achievement. DS2 is also shy and has found socially settling hard and if the report refers to progress with these issues I will be delighted.

In terms of levels I will only have issues if they are far below expected as if they need action I would have expected to have been informed before at a parents evening for example. A report shouldn't come as a shock and IMO the little box that allows the teacher to make a personal comment about my children that shows that they know/get them in done way is the one that always makes me smile.

[BabiesAreLikeBuses]

Wow this has moved on from last night!

mrz I can't believe there's no exemplification for exceeding, no wonder schools are varying so much in what they expect!

Dd's maths I would say is solid but not her forte, she's much more into reading and craft... But got exceeding for number as she can go beyond 20, knows number bonds well, orders, uses them in play and knew about months and seasons. She got expected in the other maths one - said she needed to develop prob solving which amused me as they haven't had formal maths lessons and I don't push it at home

I've decided I don't like the language. Expected sounds like you should have got it anyway and haven't worked for it, I had to use the word in my ks2 reports about some kids who had worked bloody hard all year and I felt they needed a more glowing recognition of their efforts!

[perrinelli]

Exactly, gintastic - it's interesting for me to know that, and hopefully helpful for other people to see, especially those who are wondering if their schools mark 'harshly' or felt the descriptors didn't represent their dc.

[Flowerpower07]

Hi I am new to this site. I wander if anyone can help me to understand my DS reception report. he scored 11 exceeding and 6 expected. The exceeding subjects were personal and social, emotional development, communication and language, Reading, maths and understanding the world. I haven't a clue what all of the expected and exceeding means.

As it doesn't explain. Thank you

[HorryIsUpduffed]

It means he is doing really well.

You could check this long and dry document for in-depth details.

[Spero]

Hah! Re non explanation. My daughters report said that she had achieved this and that level - no explanation of where she was in comparison with the rest of the class, no link to average national standards, no help for me too understand if she was trying very hard and this was the best she could do or if she was coasting and could do better, or if she was struggling.

I was a governor for a year, had to drop out due to illness but I wouldn't go back. There is no way I could do an effective job as I found it utterly impossible to understand the data, how it was calculated or what it meant so there was no way I could ever 'supportively challenge' the Head Teacher.

It's all a massive pile of poo, I type in non agitated fashion.

[Spero]

Thanks for the link. 62 pages! Jesus wept.

[mrz]

Sorry HorryIsUpduffed but the profile document is just the statutory element and isn't in any great depth there is exemplification materials on the DfE website to explain what to look for when judging expected but as said unfortunately none for emerging and exceeding.

[Spero]

Hahahahah! But with jargon as impressive as this, who needs it to be based on any kind of objective and verifiable facts?

[mrz]

Try

The exemplification materials for each ELG are available as PDF downloads on each of the following pages. On each page, the ELG is listed, along with a brief explanatory note, to help ensure that the information is interpreted accurately and consistently by all users.

The learning journey examples are included at the end of these pages. You can also download a full set of exemplification materials in zip file format from this web page. Due to the number of PDFs, there are four zip files.

To make judgements about attainment for each ELG, practitioners must be familiar with the description of the area of learning and the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS. Practitioners should read the EYFS Development matters guidance, which describes the developmental continuum leading to each ELG.

When viewing each set of exemplification material, it is important to understand that the set as a whole illustrates the ?expected? descriptor. No one piece of evidence meets the ELG as a standalone item; together they illustrate the pitch and breadth of a particular ?expected? level of learning and development.

plus

media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/zip/e/eyfs%20exemplification%20materials%201%20of%204.zip
and
media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/zip/e/eyfs%20exemplification%20materials%202%20of%204.zip
and
media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/zip/e/eyfs%20exemplification%20materials%203%20of%204.zip
and
media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/zip/e/eyfs%20exemplification%20materials%204%20of%204.zip

[HorryIsUpduffed]

Sorry, it was DH's link. He found the descriptions in annexes I think - p72 IIRC?

[Spero]

'Learning journey!'

We are all doomed.

[mam29]

What I dont get and wondered before is

nursery and preschool are both meant to follow efys.
receptions suppost to do same.

why do nursery and preschools not give efys scores are tehy not required or qualified enough.

dd2 4 september just gets a tick in the box that says working in age bracket 30-50months.

when dd1 left recepteption we got abook with photos and obserations just like when we left nursery.

can we not just make teachers lives and parents lives easier and just get year 1 of year 1 teachers to assess then why do we need all thsi for reception year?

im sure my mum and dad got much more simplified reports than this and not sifting through framework and criteria its paper work, target mad,

dd1 often talked about her targets like she was some sort of mini employee.

[mrz]

Because the profile is intended to sum up development at the end of the EYFS . One of the main purposes of the EYFS profile is to help Year 1 teachers plan an effective, responsive and appropriate curriculum that will meet the needs of all children.

[mam29]

maybe in theory but they all progress at diferent rates.

I cant really say much about term 1 of year 1 as seemed so long ago but by end of the year

they were all set on coloured tables in ability groups.

dd 1 got 8-9 in efys scores so quite good.

but year 1 she gradually declined and got further behind,

had hardly any reading books.
ended year 1 on level 3 ort.

maybe they focussed on the top performing kids and the ones at the bottom with low efys scores.

throughout entire year r and yera 1 kept telling me everythings fine.

she got 39/40 in phonics.
but ended year 1 1b for everything when the schools target was 1a.

i wonder if its ,more a tickbox exercise maybe in some cases the teachers find it useful tool but think they need to reassess for themselves in a way to double check the eyfys grade was correct .

[Spero]

Ah, I see. I thought it was so they could quickly identify who can get left on the 'top table' to get on with it while all teachers time and energy is diverted to the few with emotional and behavioural difficulties who want to smash up the classroom. Maybe that's just my school.

[Spero]

Cloured tables for ability groups in years 1? Nice. Nice to be labelled so young and so decisively. Wonder what that does for any motivation or love of learning.

[mrz]

All my tables are the same colour and not ability grouped ...

[mrz]

The profile shouldn't be a tickbox exercise but I fear it is

[mam29]

Yes spero I was shocked i mean we just talking one school maybe other schools do it differently i dont recall call her mentioning it the 1st term but definatly after xmas was colours or literacy and shapes for numeracy. other kids said same they never really told parents that openly though and they claim the kids dident know but mine blatently knew red table were getting harder different work.

They were quite a competative class all knew what reading level and box number they on as she got teased for reading baby books.

when she went into year 2 first thing she did was come homw and cry telling me im useless im on bottom table for everything.
I then realised the class had diffrent homework.
the ones who failed the year 1 phonics group went off to do their letters and sounds with senco, the ones who just missed passing went off with ta and the ones who passed including my dd stayed with the teacher in the mian classroom.

the ones who dident pass had easier spellings so when they did spelling test on fridays everyone knew.

But it was the maths homework that gae it a away was sort of reception/year 1 level go see what shapes you can find around yoir home where as freinds daughter on top table had how many sides does this shape have so brought it up with teacher that its too easy want her reassed and she went up a table.she admitted that the school do set them by ability.

Because dd1 passed phonis test she wasent eligible for extra help with reading as they focus on kids who failed phonics or got a 1 c in year 1 then you have the parents of the top table whinging thres no gifted and talented and how are they being stretched.

we left term into year 2 as the targets , stress and competition really upset my daughter,

her new school was mixed year 1/2 class where they did loosly set but wasent as obvious and the class were no where near as competative and the teacher not pushy and she got extra reading help as they said whats reading got to do with phonics test they not alwways linked-common sense at last.

I spoke to some parents and they said in year 1 at new school they dont give nc levels out only in year 2.

[lottieandmia]

OP, do you feel that perhaps the school is not getting the best out of your dd? If so I can understand your disappointment.

[mam29]

Thanks mrs z you always helpful and honest.

I guess depends on strength of teacher.

dd year 1 teacher seemed nice, dd liked her but she had a reputation as not being one of the best .

was a pure year 1 class with the 15 youngest being in mixed r1 class.

at parents evening I got distinct impression she was struggling by things he said.

thinks like well the r1 teacher has it easier as she actually only had 13 not 15kids from year 1 the youngest in the year alongside 15oldest in reception and she said the ta used to take the reception to play and she would teach them in small group of 13 a lot of time so had it easier.

she just seemed tired and stressed a lot of the time.
Guess she had added pressure of year 1 phonics test as they did lots of prep for that.

but year 2 it was mostly the ones from r1 younger ones in year on top tables and highre reading levels as the group combined again as the oldest 15 moved to the mixed 2-3class so being bottom against the younger ones was even more of shock,

[youarewinning]

I heard next year you'll also get the age bracket your child is working in. For example the eyfs age catogories. (36-45 months etc)

I laughed at this and said to my friend that if my DS got the emerging - working at 57months or whatever it would look bad on paper but be bang on correct, as he's a late aug baby!!!!

As it is IMO it's all bollocks - DS got all 6/7's under old system. Just finished year 4 2 years behind in writing, year behind in reading and 2 years ahead in maths and been referred to camhs with possible asd. What they assessed him at when he was 4 yrs and 9 months told us nothing of future value.

I'm eyfs trained but have doesn't many years in sen schools in key stage 3/4 so out of touch with it all now.

[mrz]

news.uk.msn.com/uk/five-year-olds-may-face-new-test