Can you explain to this thick parent Reception markings pls

[BeaLola]

We have no explanation with report but x against columns emerging, expected or exceeded and some narrative but a neighbour whose child goes to a different school was talking about 1b c etc ?

All help VERY gratefully received as first time Mummy

Hi

There are several other threads on here, have a bit of a browse.

In early years (nursery through to reception) children are marked against 17 learning goals. Ideal would be for the child to meet all of these 17 by the end of reception (ie expected) but in the pilot last year only 40ish percent did, although a higher percentage met all the 'core' goals.

The 1b etc scores your friend is speaking about relate to the ks1 and onwards (year 1 on) goals. If a child in reception is exceeding their early years goals they may well already be working at a 1c or 1b or higher, but most schools would not record or report that for reception.

Hth!

Hi BeaLola, it's a new grading system this year. There are 17 areas that are graded emerging, expected or exceeding. Emerging basically means 'Can't do it yet but working towards it', Expected means the child is at the level expected for the end of reception, and Exceeding means the child is working beyond what is expected for end of reception - however many people have reported that its very hard for a child to be awarded Exceeding as they need to be working at about year 2 level to be awarded that - so most children will get emerging or expected. There does seem to be some variation in how schools are grading the children as well. Hope that helps.

there seems huge variation with a) how the school are scoring them and b) what information they are using on reports.

very few schools will give a 1b or any sort of national curriculum grading for a reception child even if they are working at that level, it just isn't used in reporting or grading of a reception child normally so don't worry about that.

basically you would hope your child would get expected in everything and if they are doing extremely well (and the idea of what extremely is varies from school to school) they may get an exceeding.

HTH - we haven't had ours yet.

Thank you all for replying -has made me feel so much better - I' m trying my best . We adopted our son and I have been concentrating most on him feeling loved and having self-esteem etc and becoming attached to us.

then you are doing the right thing - it is far more important that he is happy in himself than top of the class.

Thank you all.

The problem is me feeling crap about it. I know he is fabatastic and how hard it has been for him to be uprooted and start a new life with strangers (because that is what we were to him) and I know you can't compare children however having to listens to all the cliquey Mummy's raving about all the exceedingly their precious ones got has made me feel pretty rubbish like I haven't helped him as much as I could and I'm worried that he will fall further and further behind and it is not his fault at all.

well I am feeling pretty rubbish because I thought my daughter was way exceeding what would be expected of a reception child with what she can do and she has been described in a very average way in her report. we haven't got the actual levels but I feel really flat because I honestly now think I have been imagining she is very bright and really she isn't.

It will take him (and you) time to adjust but whether you are an adoptive parent or a biological parent you are his mum and we all go through the same concerns/fears/problems etc.

Thanks. We are set to see teacher for our 15 min talk on Friday.
It would be good to know for the emerging marks whether he is say right at the beginning in an area or pretty near to getting expected - -a summary of what the marks meant would be helpful plus seeing the learning journey book that others refer to.
The teacher tells met not to worry - that they all get there eventually... But it's hard not to. I think the bottom line is that I feel guilty by not helping enough - as example I have no idea re high frequency words. I'm currently a SAHM and only have one child & thought that DH and I whilst not geniuses were average and we spend lots of time together taking him places, reading to him , answering questions and doing fun games etc but obviously it's not enough. How do those with more children's and jobs manage it all. Is it a time thing eg the longer he's with us and were exposed to school system we will "get it" or Is he saddled with parents who would never get beyond emerging if graded themselves ?

Doesn't sound like he's been 'saddled' with anything. You sound awesome.

You sound like an amazing mum OP.

My sons got low grades in reception and y1 but were above expected level by y2. I think it was because neither of them were really ready for the academic side of school until they turned 6 ish when they naturally wanted to learn how to read and write. In other words I think they were too immature for school in reception/y1 which was why they got the grades they did.
It sounds like you are doing a fab job.

My oldest was on bottom table at the end of y1 and top table byChristmas of y2. Being emerging now does not mean he will always struggle academically.

I think in some ways the terminology, although it sounds euphemistic, is actually spot on. 'Emerging' may mean just that - that the child is too young to be 'getting' it yet but that doesn't mean that they won't get there eventually. Boys in particular might just not quite have the maturity to be doing formal literacy and numeracy at age 4 or 5, but they may turn out to be geniuses all the same once they've grown up a bit!

OP I agree w all the others, you sound like you are doing an amazing job, as is your son. He has had such a huge emotional Journey this year, he may well have subconsciously prioritised that. So long as he is genuinely emerging, and loves learning (which you are encouraging w all those fun things you do w him), he will get there in the end. Be clear w the teacher tomorrow and see if they think you should rebalance a bit of how you are helping him, but try not to worry too much.

You don't mention when his birthday is, there is a big difference between autumn born and summer born children in % expected goals met, so that may also be playing a role.

Hang in there and keep doing what you are brilliant at - being there for what he needs, and focusing on him as an individual. He is very lucky to have you, and you him, I imagine.