Hi,

my school has just been selected to be moderated for both ks1 and eyfs. I have never been through moderation before, and will be doing both. Please can someone help me with what to expect and what the moderators will be doing/looking at

Thanks

Emily

they will want to see a range of evidence you keep to back up the levels and judgements made, alongside evidence of in-house moderation undertaken through theyear - I find that moderation done by external people can be variable - some want to see lots of evidence per child, some are willing to 'trust' your professional knowledge of the children as well.

Good luck!

Jenni

well first dont panic, the lady who moderated me was lovely. She looked at a tmb profile and then did joint obs with me on those children. It was basically a conversation, she listened while i told her our cohort story. She was not trying to catch me out. I dont know if it is the same for you but previous to the moderation she sent us a form with questions on. She was also interested in the role of the key worker and loved it when i used the word nurture so throw that in there. x x x

It's not a test! It's not something you "fail" It's a professional dialogue that allows you to talk about how you know your children are attaining the scale points you say they are.

It's not about weighty tomes of written evidence - evidence is not measured by weight, but by accuracy of judgments based on what you know about children's independent application of skills in a range of contexts.

The moderator will tell you if your evidence is accurately matched against the criteria in the handbook or not and give you written feedback on their findings.

Cx

Do you get graded, like Ofsted? I am sure I read on here somewhere that they were given a Grade 1 for moderation.
Thanks

No, not at all.
CX

I'm afraid it is happening in some LAs and some are actually failing teachers if they don't have copious amounts of evidence

Ok, so just as I was beginning to stop stressing - they could fail me?
I am trying to look on this as a positive experience - for the first time in 2 yrs since moving down to reception, someone might be able to help me, and check I'm doing it right - but now they might fail me, because I need help!!!
I don't have loads of evidence, I don't have a full time TA and so its really difficult to fit in observations, take photos and work with a small group of children, or even try and hear my children read 3 times a week.
Some children barely have any evidence for each of the 6 different areas. I try to do as many obs from child initiated activities as possible, but that also isn't practical - as well as trying to keep an eye on the whole class both indoors and out on my own.

(sorry rant over - just am really stressed, that I don't feel that I am doing my best, and just feel its impossible to achieve this without a full time TA, but know I have no choice, and just have to work with days where its only me in the class... argh..... so didn't want to fail moderation)

Calm down

Tell us a little more about your setting.You say you will be doing both EYFS and KS1 moderation do you have amixed aged class?

Your LEA will probably have a moderation meeting where they will tell the schools what evidence they will be looking for and how the meeting will work.Ours tend to be twilights.

Tinkerbell

Hi,
I am the reception class teacher. I know I am lucky as I only have 15 children - but I really don't know whether I am my profiles right - but I am doing the best I can. I have been to moderation meetings - well one last year. I didn't have a positive experience as they spent the whole time disbelieving me over the scores I was giving one child (she is now achieving 2bs in year 1, so I feel justified in saying in March that she had completed the profile). It's a shame because i took other profiles, and went for help, which I didn't feel I got. My moderation meeting this year happens to be after my moderation!!!! At least I can go and get more information there.
I am involved in the KS1 moderation as KS1 co-ordinator - and the head wants me not the y2 teacher to deal with it. I only teacher the y2s for RE, so I'm not their normal teacher - but I think the head believes I will be able to talk to the moderator better than the y2 teacher.
Sorry for being stressed last night - I don't like failing, and the thought of failing something I didn't think you would has scared me.

We are moderated every year by our LEA (Suffolk), it is really supportive and nothing to worry about but I think there are lots of factors that can be different. It depends on your LEA and what they might be looking for, how are your schools results?
We have a moderation meeting where we fill out these forms and take all our evidence and have a cluster meeting with different schools in May, its a time to chat and see how others are doing. We also have a visit where one of our reception teachers works alongside an EYFS Advisor, they do a joint observation of a chosen child in a chosen area and talk about point scores looking through LJs. It is really helpful when making judgements on observations and have someone listen and understand what is happening in your setting. I also think you shouldnt worry as if it does not turn out aswel as you might expect then they help will be put in place to support you. We are not scored but a report is written which the head agrees and signs. Ours is actually a really nice experience and my children seem to be amazing and do everything i hope they could and state they can in their LJs.
We also get given a booklet outlining the visit and what is to happen.
I am also a believer that aslong as you know your children and can talk about them then the evidence does not always need to be their - remember books, observations, assessments, photos all count!!

Hope it goes ok and try not to worry!!

xx

Sometimes its also quite nice to get the pat on the back which you don't always get from your headteacher.

JemilyJones


Ok, so just as I was beginning to stop stressing - they could fail me?


sorry I didn't mean to frighten you just pointing out that some LAs are acting beyond their remit and are grading teachers during the moderation process. If your LA is one of those it is handy to have the relevant information to hand to challenge their judgements.

"Moderation involves professional dialogue to ensure that practitioner judgements are consistent with nationally agreed exemplifications. It is a supportive process designed to:

* develop practitioner confidence
* ensure that assessment is fair and consistent for all children
* ensure all parties can have confidence in the accuracy and reliability of information provided.

Achieving comparability involves practitioners working with each other throughout the year, supported by an annual programme of activity organised by local authorities, with the aim of finding consistency not only within an area but between all areas of the country." http://testsandexams.qcda.gov.uk/17858.aspx

Thank you for that help Marion - I know you didn't mean to scare me - think am stressing far too much over this.
Will print out that info and keep it with my moderation info just in case.

Emily

Hi, I loved this. Thank you so much for posting it!
I am printing it out for encouragement.

I had a nightmare moderation a year ago. (Sorry Jemily Jones!).
Of the 2 moderators that came, one had previously been in an argument with our head and the other I'd upset because after 4 phone calls I wouldn't accept a job in her nursery! (It wasn't physically possible for me to do so, nothing personal!). But they came into our setting and ripped us to shreds. EVERYTHING! I had only been at the school a short time, and was battling to get it EYFS friendly! I had had training and worked in Foundation Stage for six years and couldn't believe I had got EVERYTHING wrong! Even my observations! I felt I'd let everyone down and was so close to handing in my notice!
Thankfully I work in a very supportive setting and the head was very supportive and complained to the LEA about our treatment - it certainly did nothing to develop practitioner confidence!

We are being moderated again shortly and I'm feeling sick just thinking about it.
And yes our LA grades us, obviously our grade was rubbish, well 'potentially unsound' they called it.
BUT... I don't think this is the norm, I have not heard of any other horror stories. Everybody else has had lovely moderators! We didn't even get a pre-moderation visit that I heard others had before they were moderated!

Sorry to scare you, but I'm sure my horror story is a one off!!

If LAs are "grading" then it is of their own making and nothing to do with the expectations of moderators as exemplified to moderators by QCDA very clearly indeed.

We do, however, have a duty to make a judgment on the level of security of the school's data based on the accuracy of the match between the practitioners evidence base and the nationally set criteria in the handbook. This is reported to the HT.

It is not a "fail" but if there are areas for strengthening your data then it is the moderators role to ensure the setting knows it. The LA has a duty to appoint the moderating team and ensure they are given training in what is expected. I'm sure there are some people who have not followed this in the past but there is much more guidance available now re how to engage in this process and the LA moderation manager should be using this to guide their team's work. (As Marion has posted previously).

With the advent of the moderator accreditation this will also ensure that moderators are working to the nationally laid down expectations.
(And yes, I'm accredited!)

Cx

i know exactly how you feel - in a very similar position myself. there is far too much conflicting information, advice whatever you want to call it in the early years which just leaves people stressed and worried.

From QCDA website: http://testsandexams.qcda.gov.uk/19529.aspx

Local authorities

The statutory responsibility for moderating EYFS profile judgements is held by the local authority. QCDA is responsible for monitoring the local authority moderation process. Under these arrangements for moderation, local authorities have the following specific responsibilities:

* to ensure all practitioners responsible for the completion of EYFS profiles take part in moderation activities at least once annually
* to appoint moderators with appropriate experience of the EYFS statutory framework and the early learning goals in order to secure consistent standards in assessment judgements
* to ensure moderators are trained and participate regularly in local authority and inter-local authority moderation activities
* to ensure all settings are visited regularly, at least once every four years, as part of a cycle of moderation visits by a local authority moderator, and that settings with identified problems or other particular circumstances are visited more frequently
* following the moderation visit, to notify the headteacher or manager of the early years setting whether the EYFS profile assessment is being carried out in accordance with requirements
* where the moderator judges that the assessment is not in line with the exemplified standards, to ensure the headteacher or manager of the early years setting arranges for practitioners to participate in further training/moderation activities and to reconsider their assessments as advised by the moderator
* to quality assure the resulting data to ensure it is an accurate reflection of children’s attainment
* to ensure that resources available under the EYFS element within the National Strategies primary school targeted support grant 1.7, and the Sure Start, early years and childcare grant, are used to support the effective use of EYFS material in schools and settings.

Headteachers, governing bodies and managers of early years settings

Headteachers, governing bodies and managers of early years settings have the following specific moderation duties:

* to arrange for practitioners responsible for the completion of EYFS profiles to take part in local authority moderation activities at least once annually
* to permit the moderator to enter the premises at all reasonable times to carry out moderation visits
* to meet reasonable requests from the moderator to amend assessments and for practitioners to take part in further training/moderation activities
* to take responsibility for the reliability of their EYFS profile outcomes using quality assurance processes and ensure that the data accurately reflects the attainment of the current cohort of children.

Headteachers or managers of early years settings have a general responsibility to meet the statutory requirements in relation to the EYFS profile. Practitioners involved in making the assessments should have adequate opportunities to become familiar with best practice.

These opportunities to become familiar with effective practice may involve:

* attendance at training courses
* visits by moderators to settings
* moderation meetings within settings (in-house moderation)
* moderation meetings with practitioners from other settings.


3.10 EYFS profile moderation

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to set up moderation arrangements. QCDA will provide local authorities with guidelines and examples of effective practice in the Moderation requirements booklet. Local authorities will establish the accuracy of judgements by engaging in a professional dialogue with practitioners and discussing evidence during a school visit or moderation meeting.

Practitioners and EYFS profile moderators need to be aware that the definition of evidence is any material, knowledge of a child, anecdotal incident, result of observation or information from additional sources that supports the overall picture of the child’s development. There is no requirement that evidence should always be formally recorded or documented.

Practitioners may choose to record specific evidence in order to secure their own judgements, but it is their final assessment of the child, based on all of their evidence (documented or not) that informs the completion of the EYFS profile, and it is this judgement that is moderated by the local authority. Most of the existing QCDA guidance refers to observing children in independent or self-initiated activities as a critical way in which evidence is collected and judgements made on what children really know and can do.

Moderation activities within the context of the EYFS profile involve professional dialogue to ensure practitioner judgements are consistent with nationally agreed exemplification and that attainment of individual scale points is a reliable, accurate and secure process. The moderation process is a supportive one, designed to develop practitioners’ confidence in their approaches to assessment and their understanding of the EYFS profile.

The EYFS profile provides a rounded picture of a child’s progress and development in relation to the early learning goals at the end of the EYFS. Agreement of the assessment judgements recorded in the EYFS profile is essential so that all those involved can make full use of the information, and data outcomes are accurate and reliable.

Providers should discuss arrangements for training with the local authority early years team. Those involved should feel confident that the recorded judgements are fair and consistent for all children and that the assessment judgements made for any one child are comparable with those made for all other children. The achievement of this comparability involves processes that will need to operate over time as the EYFS profile is implemented and used. These processes are outlined in section 3.11 and involve practitioners working with each other throughout the year, supported by an annual programme of moderation activity organised by the local authority.

Cx

Thank you to everyone for their advice... I am now as calm as can be - ready for moderation tomorrow. Thanks esp catma, your advise has been great

Emily

My pleasure - let us know how it goes! And don't forget - you know your own children - the moderator doesn't!!
Cx

Just a quick update - i had my moderation for EYFS today - and it was such a lovely and positive experience. The moderator chatted to me, and listened to all I had to say on the children. She commented on how well I obviously knew them - and it was lovely having another pair of eyes - not only commenting on good practise, but also things that could be tweaked and made even better.
Thanks again to those who gave me advise - and I hope everyone has the same positive experience that I did - it lovely to be told - actually you're doing it right, and you do know what you're on about

Me and my old man, who is ofsted inspector and early years specialist, have been discussing asssessment in the nursery class I took over in January, following my appointment as EYFS leader in a small infant school.
We agree with the many views expressed in terms of the potental value of external moderation. The difficulty, according to my other arf, is that almost everywhere he goes he is met by clip-board carrying adults ('The inspector's here - note something down!') who seem to write everything and anything...'picked nose... smiled...put on brick on top of the other' (no that's not what husband did!). In my new school, the reception teacher's plans include 'observation' almost every hour of the day; not sure when they teach the little darlings anything. Rather disparigingly, imindoors refers to some LA EYFS advisers as the EYFS Mafia. I must say, most of them I've met seem to interpret the guidance based on their own baggage. I'm comforted by the phase 'how well you know the child'. I'm sure most of us could create a pretty accurate profile after working with the same children for a year without the need for belt, braces and suspenders (sorry that was his addition!). Play up, play up and play the game. Anything for a quite life. He's busy making an all singing all dancing spreadsheet at the moment which I'm hoping to blind my moderators with when they come in at the end of this week. (I think I split a wotsit there; better write it on a post-it and stick it somewhere. Suggestions by reply please) Watch this space! Anyone have a vacancy?

Not always the case (Says the non baggage carrying, open minded EYFS consultant.)

Cx