Reception report - meaning of exceeding

[Rox19]

Hello
My DC had reception report back and is 12 exceeding, 5 expected.
She was quite a long way ahead when she started school.
I'll be trying to get her in 7+ intake at a selective school.
How do I know what the expected progress for this profile does anyone know?

Eg does exceeded mean look at attaining a level 5 at year 6 level or do I have to ask for an NC level at parents eve? I just wondered if exceeded equates always to a NC level.

Thanks for any help & please don't flame me !

The NC levels no longer exist, so they are irrelevant for your child. And the expectations have changed as well. But in any case, there is a long time between reception and the end of year 6!

She is obviously doing well, but I don't think you should base too many predictions about the future on what she is doing now. She is still tiny, and all kids progress at different rates.

Great thanks all

Also, it depends on why she was so far ahead when she started reception. Was that a result of her natural ability? Is she just one of the older ones in her year? Did you teach her a lot before she started school?

Generally if you are aiming at a competitive 7+, your child needs to be exceeding consistently in math and English. But exceeding just means above average NC expectations, w/o mentioning how far above.

For the most competitive central London boys schools, for example, a child needs to be a couple of years ahead - ie be confident in material not yet covered in a state school in Y1-2.

Oops - just realised that you have a girl. If you are in the North London, 7+ at the top schools is similar to that of the boys schools - you will need to prepare her by covering more material and practicing tests.

Outside of London, as I understand, things are a lot more relaxed.

A lot depends on when your child's birthday. Summer born children are at a massive disadvantage. Girls develop earlier than boys on average. The results you have listed would be very average for a September born girl, but outstanding for an August born boy.

I think you have to realistic about your child's ability. It's really too early say whether selective education is appropriate.There are children with July birthdays who manage to get exceeding expectations in every area of the curriculum. However early developers sometimes get overtaken.

Is that true really tired, as online it says to get all 17 as exceeding is something only the top 1% achieve.

So it seems unlikely from what you've said, that a top 1% August boy would get all 17 exceeding, purely due to age and birth month.

So from what you have said, my Autumn born daughter is just mid range?

I think it can be tricky using reception reports as a guide to future performance because different LAs and schools seem to have different benchmarks for exceeding. For example DD's reception class insisted DCs must be at least into L2 (old NC) for exceeding. While other parents reported on MN that children reading green band books or at a 1C / 1B level were achieving exceeding.

If you really want to have an idea of levels and the school won't provide this info (and assuming she's amenable of course) get her to sit some old SATS papers. Of course they don't relate that well to the new curriculum but as it's the old levels you've asked about...

My (April born) daughter got exceeding in all categories last year and she was not alone. She isn't even top of her class. All the children on the top table in her year 1 class got exceeding expectations across the board. These children are able, but certainly are not in the top 1%.

I think that some schools are tougher at giving exceeding grades than others. Some schools dumb down grades so that its easier to show progression. Dd's school has been watched very closely by the local authority so they cannot play tricks like giving a child an undeserved low grade in reception to make themselves look good in year 6.

"So from what you have said, my Autumn born daughter is just mid range?"

It is too early to say. Children's development varies a lot. The early years is a real melting pot. Some children's parents are more pushy than others. Age makes a big difference in reception, but less so in juniors. Most schools have a lot of movement between different ablity tables in keystage 1.

There is no doubt that your daugher has done well. She is above average for her year group, but I would be surprised if she is top of the class. I have so idea how her profile compares with other autumn born children.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/364021/SFR39_2014_Text.pdf

The average EYFPS point score for 2014 is 32.8. Your daughter has a score of (311+ 210) which is 45.

She deserves to be congratulated.

"While other parents reported on MN that children reading green band books or at a 1C / 1B level were achieving exceeding. "

My daughter was on green book bands. However she read the books with fanastic expression, understood punctuation and had good comprehension. Different schools have different policies about putting children up book bands. Dd's school insisted that children were using correct phonics variations in their writing before they were put up a book band. Seven years ago my son was moved up book bands when he could show that he could read and understand the book.

I think you can compare the results of different schools in an LEA because the results are moderated. Reception teachers have to work very hard to collect evidence.

It does vary hugely by school/LA. My DD1 was judged exceeding in all but 2 areas (3 years ago), but it would have been very misleading to assume that she was/is exceptionally bright. She's not! She's perhaps slightly above average with a supportive family, but for some reason her school seemed to set the bar quite low. In other schools, I know (mostly from discussion on here) that children had to be pretty much genius level to get exceeding.

I found it really useful to look at the online descriptors for exceeding/expected and make my own judgement to a certain extent.

Exceeding means just that, she could be anywhere from just above average to child genius, and from a report there's no way you'd know. From reports and tests etc my dd appears equal across all areas at primary and always has, yet her, every member of staff, her friends even and I could tell you that some areas are far stronger than others.
It's also wise not to compare her to what is only a small group of children developing at different rates to predict outcomes.

When I met up with DD teachers all the expected boxes were ticked... On further discussion she said it's quite a broad range for "expected" category and that DD was actually boarder line exceeding in some areas ?

DD is at a private prep like previous poster said perhaps varies where they set the bar sometimes

It's the same bar for all, statements for exceeding are available on the DfE site

www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-handbook/areas-of-learning-exceeding-descriptors

It's the same bar for all, statements for exceeding are available on the DfE site.

Well yes if you want to quibble the bar is the same. The interpretation of the bar, however, is another matter and leads to precisely the same consequences.

As you yourself stated on previous threads about the same issue:-

As there is no exemplification for exceeding there is going to be a huge variation between LEAs. schools and teachers.

AND

It's not only parents who are pissed off simpson. Imagine you're in a school where exceeding is seen as exceptional achievement while down the road the next school awards it for much less!

I even remember another teacher or TA commenting that teachers in the same school had given out exceedings differently.

Perhaps things have moved on from that first year though?

Yes Moderators should be more familiar with what is expected at each "level" emerging, expected, exceeding. Assessment is always going to be subjective unless you use a test where there is only one correct answer and any other is wrong, however with the expectations anything beyond is exceeding be that by an inch or a mile.

"
It's not only parents who are pissed off simpson. Imagine you're in a school where exceeding is seen as exceptional achievement while down the road the next school awards it for much less!"

Does it really matter? They are only five, hardly as if they are sitting their GCSE. The only purpose of the eyfs is to show the year 1 the child's starting point. It's next to impossible to compare children that you know, never mind some child you have only heard about over the Internet.

It matters. Because exceeding is essentially now saying they need to continue to perform at a top level. A lot of pressure. Better to stay on side of caution.

I take the exceedings/expecteds with a large pinch of salt. They're all tick box exercises. A child can be streets ahead in almost every way, fail to tick one box on the exceeding list and score "expected". Or they can be struggling but just manage to tick the right boxes.

DS got exceeding at writing which with the best will in the world he wasn't. But expected at maths where he really is strong. When I queried this the teacher agreed his maths is stronger than his writing. She mentioned one very specific tick box that he'd missed, it was something "really hard" - which DS got in two minutes when I showed him it that evening and was doing spontaneously in other situations from then on. Perhaps he was away (with the fairies?) the day they explained it in class.

I also think that different teachers use different measures, even with the same tick box criteria. Different for example in the amount of independence they expect. Sure DS could write a letter - if there was one on the whiteboard for him to copy. Leave him on his own with a piece of paper however and you'd more likely get an illegible scribble and a picture of a spaceship.

What worries me about all these assessments is where year R/1 assessments are used to set value added targets which detemine the support/pressure the DC then get right up through primary and beyond. Shouldn't happen in a good school, but seems to happen in some.

I think you need to look at the bigger picture, and that means talking to her school, and talking to the school you have to get her into. Find out what is required and work towards that.

And maybe presume that she is bright enough, but also remember that it is incredibly tough out there, and the competition is only going to get more fierce for places at selective schools.

Catkind it's meant to be a "best fit" not a tick everything exercise

Also remember that the profile is being replaced by entry to reception baseline assessment (which will be used to measure progress across primary)