Reception reports - what is exceeding this year and progress made?

[BeatriceBean]

Hello, I'm pleased with my daughters report and really only concerned with the comments from the teacher as I'm not overly fussed about the target driven eyfs reporting BUT I'm curious....

• How exceeding does a child have to be to get exceeding? How many in a class would get them - as in is it only a few in a year, or 1/3 of a class?
• Do many get exceeding in the non reading/writing/maths areas in reception? I'm not sure if they have had the chance to "exceed" in technology/ world/etc - not that I mind as I wouldn't change anything about the reception year my daughter has just had, its more of a curiosity about the concept.

Finally "progress made".. I used to be a teacher (not infant) and I don't get this. It isn't like effort grades is it - I don't get the difference between very good/expected etc. If a child starts reception reading already and finishes with "exceeding" do they still ge very good progress or expected? I just don't really understand how progress made relates to very much - especially if the child has already "progressed" well in preschool so comes in already meeting some goals.

Also couldn't eveyone tick "progress made" as that's quite generic. Do they just tick "support needed" if they need a 1-1 or some intervention? and the difference between progress made/expected progress? My brain hurts!

Well my dd is reading white level books fluently with understanding etc etc and was given expected for reading! So I have no idea what you need for exceeding in her school!

Oh I am funny - I've just realised "progress made" is the heading, not another box to tick.. .and then divided into support needed/expected/very good!

Wow Looby - surely noone gets expected in your school (I assume you mean attainment? Or do you mean expected progress? IF its progress it may be she was expected to come out on white given what she went in on?)

I don't "care" as such wrt my child, just my mind is curious about the (rather complicated and probably not overly helpful) system.

No one gets exceeded I mean Looby!

For us

Last yr dc1 reading at stage 3/4 got "expected"

This yr dc2 reading at stage 7 got "exceeding"

I don't know what they have to be doing but ds got exceeding for technology. He also got exceeding for reading and is on blue books so it must vary between schools.

Do they adjust for age - so a child who started reception at just turned 4 has lower targets than one who started reception when nearly 5?

I don't think they do for targets - on ours the "expected" target is printed and they've either met it, exceeded it or emerging on it.

I wondered if they did for the progress made though? Surely a still 4 year old reading well has made more progress than a nearly 6 year old who arrived reading?

Ours has a sheet included with descriptions of what chn have to do to get expected and exceeding - just one of the 5 or 6 targets missing, and they don't get exceeding.

Our progress is simply shown by giving their attainment at Christmas, at Easter and now.

DD has done well and I'm pleased

Similarly - do parents with "emerging" need to worry? It sounds so negative and I'm really against labelling a child so young to look as if they're failing. If a mum mentioned to me their child was emerging would it just meant they haven't yet met the target or would it mean they need 1-1 help/ should be on p levels next year (which I've only read about, not got experience of)

Basically is it that say 80% of the class get expected with say 2 or 3 emerging and 2 or 3 exceeding in each category? or not really?

Ours isn't that detailed Galena (and I don't really mind, as I said I'm more interested in the personal bit and I know she's doing well in reading, writing and numbers). I'm just curious about the whole process (and whether its ideologically right) as well as thinking it must be a heck of a lot of work for reception teachers!

The statements are attainment. Such a difference between schools then!
The comment said her 'phonic knowledge is fantastic as is her reading and writing ability'... Clearly not fantastic enough. I know I shouldn't actually care about the numbers but I do a bit!

I don't see how someone reading white books could not be exceeding Looby - even with googling some of the attainment statements.

I don't see how one areas "exceeding" is expected progress and another is "very good" progress.

I'm not sure I really like the system. However I kind of have an obsessive urge to know all about it (And similarly looby there's some on my daughters I'd change if I was levelling her. Even though I'm not fussed about levels...!!)

Here's an excerpt from our descriptors. Reading in the middle, expected on left, exceeding on right. Writing underneath.

Our teacher told us that exceeding would be reaching a typical yr 2 level, so v unusual

You and me both Beatrice! I think I will now have to become that parent and request a meeting with the teacher!,

sorry, I didn't photograph the excpected level descriptors...

I just have issues with that y2 level for exceeding, it is 'exceeding' not gifted they are supposed to be looking at!
I too have looked at the exceeding statements and there is nothing on it that she doesn't do. The last 6 comments in reading record book from school staff have just been 'excellent, fluent, good expression, intonation, understanding' etc...

Right better stop winding myself up about it now!

Was about to post something similar so would be interested in thoughts on the following:

Ds's report had three table headings (30-40 months, 40-60 months and ELG) with the options of 'entering' 'secure' and 'exceeding' for each one.

Ds has for either secure or exceeding in all ELG categories except reading and writing for which he has got 'secure ' in the 40-60 months category.

I'm aware of him finding these two things more challenging than the others but am slightly confused - I tried to check various sources for clarification and some said that securely in 40-60 months IS hitting the ELG. However, his report suggests he hasn't reached the expected target in these two areas.

His birthday is 6 days short of September and was early so he is being compared with those effectively nearly a year older (his nearly 6 year old cousin in the same school year can read very fluently ) but I just wanted to be more clear on whether he has made less progress than we thought.

Any input gratefully received

One thing to consider is that in a few years time you won't remember her reception report.

Wow, Mylovely - so something that in some classes no children would get, rather than a couple in each class. A child exceeding in most areas would be working roughly at yr 2? That doesn't sound right either!

S'ok Galena I've googled them now.... ! I don't know if this works..
www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/extra/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=59141&p=0

As I've said before I'm not really fussed about my child - I just don't fully understand the system or quite what it means. And if I as an educated teacher don't... then not quite sure it's fit for purpose!

DD has 40-60 in a couple of things because she has a mild disability. I don't think it quite tallies with the ELGs, but I could be wrong.

My son has got "working towards" (or emerging) for a couple of areas. I'm not very worried. As far as I know, UCAS won't be requesting reception report marks before offering him a place.

In all seriousness, relax a bit. Having been through all this with an older child, unless they are majorly outside the realms of "normal", a lot of the early stuff about exceeding etc is just totally irrelevant - my oldest son, one of the weaker readers at the end of reception, was one of the strongest by the end of year 2.

The exceeding being year 2 thing fits with my dc2 and his reading as I have read that stage 7 is average start of yr 2

It's all a bit irrelevant. As long as your child is progressing then take it with a pinch of salt.

Dd3 got expected for pe. I know that she's strong, agile, had been able to ride a bike without stabilisers since just 4 and demonstrated this at school on their take a bike to school days, etc. But it really isn't important if they think she's 'only' 'expected'.