Entry score for Foundation Stage Profile

[dinny]

dd's 3 pts lower than average - teacher says she has no concerns and dd is settling dow well but a part of me is a bit....I don't know...concerned. is this a new-ish thing - why do they grade children this early in their lives?

Sadly because it is a way that the Government can measure teachers. It gives them data and boy do they love data. Please listen to what the teacher is saying and remember how wildly averages vary. It's just like the wretched weight charts for bottlefed and beast fed babies- can be useful and can be very unhelpful.
Children's progress is wildly different at this age and I am sure your dd is just perfect.
The only way that these scores become meanigful is if parents endorse them and start comparing them.

thanks, Robinpud - it does sadden me to see my amazing dd reduced to some numbers on a page.

Then ignore it- I am a teacher and my most loathed phrase is " your child is a level X " Children are not levels; they are people with differing strengths which cannot accurately be described numerically.

They are based on what they hope the child will achieve by the end of the Reception year. Your dd has many months in which to develop, during which time the teacher will make regular observations for the Foundation Stage Profile so do try to trust the teacher's experience that it isn't anything you should be overly concerned about now. tbh I knew nothing of dd's until June, perhaps it was better that way !

do all primary schools have to use this scoring malarkey?

Think so, it may be to do with Ofsted. It is very much played down at ours though.

hi, LIZS - were you arund on Monday - kept eyes open for you ....

Sorry yes I was, but later on (gone 4) and got waylaid in the front area of the school. Will keep my eyes open next time (2 weeks-ish away I suppose?)

We seemed to have escaped the points thing but had the foundation profile.

I can see the point of the profile to identify some strengths and weaknesses and give a brief overview. But maybe the points should be hidden from parents I can imagine some parents getting really smug and others worried when there is no need for either.

Personally I wouldn't take too much notice. Afterall they can only put down what they observe. My son spent 2 terms of Foundation at pre-school and had strange combinations ticked. Could read name but not know a book had a start and a finish??!!

He refused to do any table activities and only played with his friends so really they didn't have much of a chance to see what he could do. Whikst I thought his profile gave a fairly good idea of his personality, if it came to a points allocation don't think it would reflect at all.

I dunno agree with "they are people with differing strengths which cannot accurately be described numerically."