Foundation Stage profile - can I have ball-park views please?

[KnitingHill]

Sorry, don't want to be a saddo, but can any teachers advise me on what in their opinion would be a poor, average or good score on the profile - this is for a June born boy.

I KNOW it is an imprecise tool, and is limiting in what it tells you, but what sort of scores should I worry/relax about?
Ta!

Not a teacher but I suspect it's hard to say as teachers seem to apply the scores differently even though they are supposedly moderated. Do correct me if I'm wrong any reception teachers out there.

Scores are moderated and most teachers have a good grasp of what children have to do to achieve each point on the profile.

OK, I'm going to generalise madly here, so just use this as a rough guide, no more.

An excellent score on the profile would be 8 or 9 for each scale, and there are 13 scales in total. The most exceptional child I have ever taught scored 113 at the end of Reception. The theoretical maximum is 117.

A good score is usually / often considered to be 78 in total, with at least 6 in PSED (Personal, social) and CLL (Literacy, basically). I would expect about 2/3 or more of my class to manage this (in a fairly comfortable area of a city).

I would be a little worried about a child scoring 50 or less at the end of Reception, with real concern about a score below 45. But obviously it depends if a child has SN, and what their starting score was.

Maybe some summer born boys have lower scores than September born girls, but it certainly is not always, or even usually, so.

If you look at the TES website Early Years section there is discussion about how different moderators have different views and how some EY teachers feel under pressure to lower the scores so added value can be easier to demonstrate later on etc.

Woahwoah is 113 really exceptional then? Only that was dd's score a couple of years ago and nobody mentioned that it was exceptional to me.I was just pleased because she had entered foundation alongside a homebased programme with GDD and autism and was happy to think she had caught up.I'd have been even more pleased knowing she had exceeded the average tbh.

Thanks all, esp woahwoah - that is really helpful. I have no need to fret . I wish if schools would give these figures they would also give some information alongside it that helps explain it

asdx2 - my dd (sept born lol) got 113 when she finished reception too (a few years ago now). No one said anything to me about her being exceptional - she is obviously bright, top sets and all, but not unusually so. I didn't have MN then, so had no-one to ask what her score meant. Well done on your dd - it sounds like she has additional challenges to deal with too

I will have a look at the TES site (is it scary?!) - and note the issues around moderation. Interestingly, ds has had the same reception teacher as dd, although the head has changed in that time, so different culture maybe?

Anyhoo, thanks very much one and all.

I was looking at the scores for our class today. One was 117. One was 40 something. The rest averaged 100. 6 were over 110. I didn't realise that 78 was a good score. Well done our children!

I would be very cautious about giving a child 117 points.

To get 9 points on a particular scale implies the child is performing consistently well above age expected standards,and it's a rare child who is talented in maths, and reading, and physical development, and music / art, and ICT,and emotional development, etc... I'm not saying it's impossible, but 8 points is excellent, very good etc, and 9 should be really exceptional IYSWIM. Perhaps I've put too much faith in moderation to iron out discrepancies!

I work in a vaguely middle class / mixed area where most children have a comfortable (but not wealthy) home and loving parents. They generally do well. We do have some children who are less advantaged too. Plus we have some who have a variety of SN, regardless of background.

Maybe in a school in a leafy suburb, lots of children might score very highly (over 110, but that's not been my experience in several schools (village, rural, city etc).

I WOULD expect most of 'my' children to get at least the standard 78 for a good score.

Asdx, I think if your dd got 113 points that's very good, with the proviso that the score should have been moderated! Perhaps if lots of children did that well, the school didn't see it as exceptional? Or they just thought you knew...

PS - some of the TES site can be scary - be careful on Opinion is my advice! But the Early Years forum is helpful and generally non scary.

No definitely not a high performing school. Dd left in year one but it was a school predominantly of travellers children and she did appear very able alongside when I looked at work displays etc. I am sure it had been moderated tbh but we moved because of a lack of communication so obviously not certain and probably why I wasn't told it was exceptional