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.

I have no idea what my DDs schools level is then if level 7 is start of y2, as she is level 10! I think I will definitely be asking her teacher just for clarification.
There seems so much inconsistency from school to school and local authorities.

Looby - honestly don't worry about it. She is certainly exceeding her goals, and her next teacher will know that as she is reading white. I personally think all this Goal/exceeding/meeting target is really unhelpful. Think of it as a random exercise teachers have to jump through and instead rely on the bits you know to be true. Not easy to do.. I don't think the reception report actually means anythinglonger term does it?

However - out of slightly obsessive curiosity I want to know exactly what it meant to do - was "exceeding" supposed to be "gifted"? Which presumably it is if its yr 2 work. Or to mean going beyond the bear minimum, or something most children should get?

Do most children meet expected? I'd like to know what "emerging" actually means as in is it just a few that need help or is it half the class?

Mr Tumble - we only have the reception goal so I'm not too sure what that is, sorry.

Piddle - I'm relaxed in relation to my child - similar to Looby I know my judgement would be different to the teacher's in some areas but I'm not that fussed

I'm just v. interested from an academic perspective as to the meaning/significance of the judgments and the point of the report. I probably could have reworded the OP better. If this is something every reception child receives then it should have meaning and be of value...

I think the report would actually mean more to me without the numbers. There seems so much inconsistency with them that I beginning to think they don't actually mean very much at all.

Thanks beatrice . I try not to get to caught up with this stuff but as someone in education too, albeit for a much older age range, I get a bit fixated about the true meaning of levels etc!

Actually I should take my own advice and chill out a bit.

if I remember right from posts last year there were quite a few found it hard to meet the writing expected. and I think the maths too.

it is possible that she is reading at level 10 but they don't feel she meets the NC level descriptors which are generally associated with that level?

DD1 got exceeding last year on level 11 and chapter books.

I think exceeding isn't supposed to go as far as gifted but is supposed to be a reasonable amount above the expected. So I think many schools used 1bish as a guide but I could have got that wrong, am trying to remember from last year.

It is supposed to only be a small number of children though I think.

About half of the children last year achieved expected in all 17 ELGs. The average point score was 34 (1 point got emerging, 2 for expected and 3 for exceeded).

IMO they don't like to give exceeding because it puts pressure on children and teachers for them to be a level 3 in ks1 sats. Also what is emerging, expected and exceeded varies between schools.

Have not had ds's yet but don't think he's made much progress this year and his reading is not good. Expecting a lot of emergings. However have discovered his eyesight is really poor and he had +8 glasses the weekend before last. I've already noticed an improvement in his reading so hopefully he will make up lost ground next year.

Think maybe or all round!

I am always surprised when I read these threads. To me the UK school system is very complicated. My DD is 5 and has just finished the Irish equivalent to reception in the uk.
Her school report consisted of happy child, interested in learning and mixes well.

We have not had much feedback with regards to reading levels. Maybe when she goes back in September there'll be more emphasis on reading levels?

It seems kids and parents in the uk are under so much more pressure when it comes to schooling.

We also don't have school absence fines and unless a child is absent most of the week it's not questioned by the school.

I was wondering about keeping levels low for the pressure of L3 at end ks1 too.

These are the figures for all reception age children last year.

This is the percentage getting a '3' in each category:

Listening and attention 19%
Understanding 19%
Speaking 15%
Moving and handling 16%
Health and self-care 16%
Self-confidence and self-awareness 16%
Managing feelings and behaviour 14%
Making relationships 13%
Reading 18%
Writing 11%
Numbers 12%
Shape, space and measures 10%
People and communities 9%
The World 10%
Technology 9%
Exploring using media and materials 11%
Being imaginative 10%

More Excel loveliness here - www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252158/SFR43_2013_Table_1.xlsx

That's England only - sorry.

Girls outperformed boys in every single area.
Autumn born girls massively outperformed summer born boys.

Sleepswithbutterflies said "Girls outperformed boys in every single area."

That's almost correct - in England in 2013 boys did better in 'Numbers' (12% of boys at 3, 11% of girls) 'The World (11% vs 10%) and 'Technology' (10% vs 7%) The sexes were tied on 'Space Shape and Measures' but you are correct that in every other area the girls are miles ahead.

It doesn't really matter, under the old EYFS DS1 scored 7-9 on all the ELG's so probably wouldn't have got exceeding on the new EYFS.
He's in Y3 now and is working at y5 level in maths and above average in all other subjects.

All I know is that in reception and nursery he had fun and made friends.

But if you look at the percentages achieving the expected level I think more girls than boys achieved that I'm every ELG. I think.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252223/SFR43_2013_Text.pdf

Oooh Cheebame that excites me (oh what fun on a Friday night!)

I might start another thread in a few days about the ideology behind it/point of it.

If 18% got exceeding in reading that would be about 5 in a class? (That's definitely much lower than level 10 Looby)

About 3 in a class for maths.

70% of girls achieve the expected level in writing vs 54% of boys.
It's a not difference.

Big difference that should be!

Blinking -that's kind of what I'm interested in. If it doesn't really matter (I think it doesn't) why the huge amount of work for reception teachers, the national grading of 4/5 year old children etc...

I'm completely of the fun and friends approach:)

Beatrice. ..there are only 15 children in her class

I have no idea! Still trying to work it out as an Early Years Practitioner/ childminder!
A curriculum for playing.
I think we put far too much pressure on children and teachers.

If you look at those at expected level of better then girls are indeed miles ahead.

I am confused about a '3' being equivalent to year 2 too - are we to believe that between 10 and 20% of those leaving reception are at the expected level for the end of year 2? That doesn't sound right.

Any system which only has 3 possible 'scores' is going to be flawed I suppose - there could be huge differences between two children who both get a '1' or a '3' I suppose if you could add and subtract two digit numbers and do some multiplication you'd get a '3' - but then you'd get a '3' if you solved The Hodge Conjecture too :)

lucybab I'm with you! my dd has just finished Junior Infants in ireland as well and her report was all about her social skills, interactions with her peers, and descriptions of how she was doing with other things. She was given an indicator on a five step scale from "performing very well" down to something like "encountering significant problems" (haven't got the wording right) but this all seemed fairly vague, although her teacher is very experienced. I'm English, but am glad she is not in primary school there.