Assessment Information Meeting for Parents

1. Assessment Information Meeting for Parents Trent Vale Infant and Nursery School Tuesday 13th October 2015

2. Aims To answer the following questions: - • What is assessment? • Why do we assess our children? • When do we assess our children? • How do we assess at Trent Vale? • How do we use our assessments to ensure your child is making progress? • What if my child is not making expected progress or meeting national age related expectations? • What can parents and carers do to help their child?

3. What is assessment? Assessment is NOT just:- • Another word for testing • About passing or failing Assessment is about having a really good understanding of what our children know, understand and can do. We get this information from watching them, talking to people who know them and looking at the things they make and do.

4. Why do we assess our children? So we can help them achieve their potential. • By finding out what they know, understand and can do we can provide learning opportunities to help them take the next steps. • Also so we can find out if things are not as they should be and give them the necessary help and support.

5. When do we assess our children? All of the time from the day they are born (and before). • Scans • Heartbeat monitoring • Finding out why they are crying • The 2 year old check At Trent Vale it’s the same. We’re watching them, talking with them, talking with you and other professionals, looking at their work and the things they make and do all of the time.

6. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Nursery (Foundation Stage1) On entry and the end of each term • Ages and Stages (in 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas) Children starting nursery should be assessed on entry at 30-50 months in all areas.

7. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Reception(Foundation Stage2) On entry and at the end of each term • Ages and Stages (in 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas) Children starting full time school should be assessed on entry at 40 – 60+ months in all areas.

8. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Reception (Foundation Stage 2) • Foundation Stage Baseline – on entry - A range of statements from the Ages and Stages document. - These are from the 30-50 and 40-60+ months ranges - There are 48 ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions from:- The 3 prime areas (PSED, CaL and PD) Literacy and Mathematics Characteristics of Learning

9. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Reception (Foundation Stage 2) • Early Learning Goals – at the end of F2 3 prime areas Communication and Language Physical Development Personal , Social and Emotional Development 4 Specific areas Literacy (Reading and Writing) Mathematics (Number and Shape, Space and Measures) Understanding the World Expressive Arts and Design • Good Level of Development (GLD) (everything apart form Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design)

10. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Year 1 – at the end of each term • National age related expectations (ARE) • Phonics screening check - June

11. How do we assess at Trent Vale? Year 2 – at the end of each term • National age related expectations (ARE) • Year 2 tests – May including Phonics Screening Check if they didn’t pass in Year 1

12. How do we use our assessments to ensure your child is making progress? Early Years Foundation Stage Progress Path

13. How do we use our assessments to ensure your child is making progress? Year 1 and Year 2 Progress Path

14. How do we use our assessments to ensure your child is making progress? Year 1 and Year 2 Progress Path • ‘Securing’ at Year 1 to ‘securing’ at Year 2 is good progress • ‘Mastering’ at Year 1 to ‘mastering’ at Year 2 is good progress • ‘Developing’ at Year 1 to ‘developing’ at Year 2 is good progress

15. How do we use our assessments to ensure your child is making progress? • Pupil progress meetings • Identifying next steps in learning • Additional provision or intervention

16. What if my child is not achieving national age related expectations (ARE)? ‘The bar has been raised’ – what children are now expected to achieve in Year 1 and Year 2 is far more than it was last year. If they are ‘developing’ they are accessing the national curriculum just not quite at the required standard. Keep working at their targets.

17. What if my child is not achieving national age related expectations (ARE)? If they are ‘establishing’ they need adult support to access the national curriculum. It is important we focus on what they can do and what new skills and knowledge they have acquired rather than on what they can’t do. If they are ‘supporting’ they access a personalised curriculum. Through the individual reviews you have with us you already know this and what they are working on next. Again it is important to focus on what they can do and what they have learned rather than on what they can’t do.

18. What can parents and carers do to help their child? • Keep talking to us. Assessment is about sharing information. But we have to see your child do all of the things in school particularly as they get older to be able to say they can do it. • Support your child to achieve their next learning steps. These are always in reading diaries for reading but will be given to you at parents evening next week.

19. And remember… We know your child is much more than how well they can read, write and ‘do sums’ and we are continually developing the whole child at Trent Vale. …but this is what they are measured against at the end of Y2. At the end of Foundation Stage 2/Reception the Good Level of Development also includes their social and physical skills. The children never know they have been ‘tested’ and we would never use the words ‘passed’ or ‘failed’ with them.