Target Setting In Fsu

[Guest]

Hi,

We set targets for our F1 Reception age children about 3 or 4 times a year. A letter is sent home to parents and the targets are often a mixture of social (turn taking etc) and academic. We always make sure the targets set are ones which parents will be able to work on at home with their children.

However I am having second thoughts about target setting after listening how the rest of the primary school review and update their "smart" targets with their children much more regularly. Our planning shows individual differentiation and planning for progression so staff are aware where each child needs to go next with their learning. I'm not sure whether target setting has become more for the parents to feel involved than for the actual children. If this is the case we could just give them pointers to work on with their children at parents evening. Obviously we never display targets in the classroom (just in the office so all staff are aware of all children's targets). I feel that we might be target setting more to show OFSTED continuity between the FSU and the rest of the school rather than to benefit the children.

What do other members think about target setting with such young children?If you do set targets for FS in your school I would be grateful for you views on it and to find out how others do it.

Many thanks!

Hope you are all enjoying the holidays and not working too hard!

[KST]

I recently asked an early years advisor this question at a course I was on and was told categorically that we should not set targets in reception. We should plan based on their next steps. What I do is an individual plan for each child every term (and I update it half termly) which has their key next steps on which I share with the parents at parents evening. Basically it is targets but they are more aims for the children and to aid my planning. I wouldn't do it if it didn't help my planning. I will highlight a couple of key things for parents to work on with their children and share this more casually at parents evenings. Be interested to read what others are doing.

[Guest]

Thanks KST.

[Guest]

i do the same planning from their next steps and using PlODS

[Susan]

Are next steps not targets by a different name?

[Aunt Sally]

I recently had this discusssion with SMT and I said the same thing that I felt that 'next steps' were 'targets'.

 

It is all a very grey area and everything I found about target setting was contradictory. When asked an early years advisor she was also quite woolly and said that some schools did in deed target set in reception but didn't say whether it was right or wrong.

 

Like everyone else I use PLODs, individual planning and plan next steps but I am increasingly becoming under pressue to target set in line with the rest of the school which i feel is just a paper excercise and not relevant to children so young.

[Guest]

I set targets in my Year R class for reading/writing and maths because I have been told to by the head and it brings me in line with the rest of the school. I review them with the children every half term and they are very 'pretty' and child friendly and the parents like being involved. When I discuss them with the children though I do call them 'next steps'.

I do woory though that from a child's point of view (and adults) this is putting more emphsis on CLL and PRSN areas of learning but don't feel confident to address this with the head.

[Aunt Sally]

That was also a point i raised with SMT as I felt that if we were to target set then we should be looking at the six areas and not just LIT and MATHS.