Secret reports??? What child info transferred from private nursery to state reception?

[Alittlebitsparkly]

Was wondering if anyone could help?

I was told by the manager of a private nursery that my child attended that they have to write a secret report which parents cannot see which is sent to new setting which in this case is a state primary reception class.Naturally I asked the manager if I could see it and they said no not allowed it.

I'm really baffled. Does a secret report exist a standard practice what do they contain?

I imagine the only things that are transferred are early learning journals /tracker so new teacher can see where the child is at. I asked the state reception teacher - head of early learning years if I could have a copy of the journal they were sent and they said ask the nursery for a copy. Of course the nursery before my child left gave me copy of the journal minus the secret report. Hence I want to see what nursery sent.

Not sure if this is making sense but another way to put it but are there any types of areas where information passed but not revealed to parents? Don't know if it's any help but nursery manger said its all about the child where there at in terms of progression of development etc how the child best learns etc....but that to me sounds like a early years tracker which isn't secret.

I'm tempted to do a subject access request but not sure how this will go down with his current teachers.i think it will upset my child's teachers as I get the impression they don't like me.

Anyone please help. Thanks

The Department for Education is introducing a baseline assessment in reception year, the reception baseline, to improve how they measure primary schools’ progress. From 2016, the reception baseline assessment will be the only measure the DfE will use to assess the progress of children who enter reception year. The baseline assessment will score each pupil against the knowledge and understanding typical for children at the start of reception year. It will be linked to the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and to the key stage 1 national curriculum in English and mathematics

Child protection incident logs should be shared with parents unless the staff believe that to do so would put the child or staff in danger

DS1's nursery did a report on him before he started Reception, in addition to the tracker thingy. We were given a copy too. It basically summarized his development in each of the 7 areas of the EYFS framework and included various short paragraph about his temperament and interests. Nothing terribly exciting or unknown to us.

I'd have been desperate to see the report if I'd been told it was secret though. I'd be wondering what on earth they'd written in it that they didn't want me to see.

Anyone who thinks that schools don't share information about children "off-the-record" is naive in the extreme. It might not be written down, but it is certainly shared.

Interesting as a reception teacher Ive never had any off the record information from private nurseries I'm feeling left out 😢

Head Teachers talk to each other all the time. As do class teachers, come to that. Not sure about private nurseries/state schools.

The OP is talking about a private nursery.

I daw the report from nusery to p1. Nothing exciting

Maybe yours said "mother a bit paranoid. Believes there is a secret report. Psst don't tell her about this report. It's a secret"

You might get further if you address the specific issue you are having with the teacher directly.

I have heard from a reception teacher that requested a report from a nursery a child had attended before coming to her class. The parents had chosen not to pass in a copy (not sure why or if report was useful). I did wonder if that was actualy allowed.

DS1 went to a private nursery.

To help the transition to school, the nursery typically get reception teachers from the local state primaries come in to meet the children going to their school (most of the children go to the school nearest the nursery, with a handful going to other schools).

There's certainly the opportunity there to pass on information off the record.

Most schools do it the opposite way with children visiting their new school so they not only meet the new teacher but become familiar with their new setting.

At both dds school, and ds's they do both - the reception teachers visit the preschools and the children visit the schools. All reports are shared with the parents.

Interesting....interesting. I was told exactly the same thing. I had my DS in a private nursery. 'twas a bit of a failing one.....since closed down. Anyway, things like the EYFS profile was all a bit hit and miss, staff were very young, here one day, gone tomorrow. Reports were promised but came late etc. At the time, I worked for a very large media organisation and staff always used to be a bit suspicious when I turned up to collect wearing my staff pass - it was not something I would take off or I would lose it. By nature, I ask a lot of questions (something to do with my profession) but I had a good relationship with carers etc and although I knew the nursery could fail an ofsted any day, DS was happy, had friends and was going to 'big school' soon. I had my 'eyes' open, but was not overly worried by anything.

I did, however, ask to see the report that I knew would be going to his next school. We had been offered our 3rd choice school and were therefore considering private, so I asked them not to send anything until we had made up our minds where we were sending DS. The reply was there are two reports one report that you can see, but the other I am not legally allowed to show you. I assumed this was some safeguarding type comment but she did not elucidate.

In the event, I assume the report did not get to the next school because the baseline report from the new school was not a child I recognised at all!
Apparently, he could not form letters at all, but he had been writing for his name for over a year and used to write me little notes and annotate his pictures. I could go on......

If you're that fussed you can request a copy of the school record. School are obliged to do this although they can charge you for photocopying. This should contain copies of all reports that are sent on from previous educational settings as well as any documentation from the current school. You will probably be disappointed by how little it contains!

justanotherquestion

Yes that is interesting.....so I'm not the only one. thats exactly the same thing I got told, a report that they are legally allowed not to show you. However, I didn't get the impression it was a safeguarding type thing. After all if it was about safeguarding why would she tell me that the report existed and I got the impression every child has a secret report.

To add, I'm also like you mentioned in that I naturally ask lots of questions but I'd like to think I had a good relationship with the carers.