Guest Posted March 12, 2003 Posted March 12, 2003 Have just joined this site and i have a query about the foundation stage profile? i know i may sound dim, i know what it is, but who should be using it, i run a reg charity playgroup, we have ofsted inspections and have many neg children 3 and 4 year olds. i asked the qca and got back a garbled message that didnt answer my question at all. i wondered if anyone has any ideas? is it just for reception units attached to schools and nurseries, or is it to be used in all settings that take neg children, i am sooooo confused!! can anyone help? kim
Helen Posted March 13, 2003 Posted March 13, 2003 Hello Kim, Welcome to the forum; I hope you find it really useful. The Foundation Stage profile is ONLY for reception teachers to complete by the end of the summer term 2003, so that lets you off the hook! Some education authorities have designed their own for pre-schools and playgroups to use (I stress, voluntarily-there is no obligation to complete them). You only have to keep records of the children according to your Ofsted requirements. Hope this helps Do get back online if you need to know anything else.
Guest Posted March 13, 2003 Posted March 13, 2003 helen you are a star, i need to be off the hook, i dont think my brain will take too much more assessment work, we have just started the psla accreditation process and if i had to do the fsp as well, i think i would be moving to the checkout at u know where!!!! also thank you steve for the email to tell me that my question had moved, i would have been searching for it for days, if you hadnt said. good site by the way, will tell others on my travels to pop in, , thanks again for the answer. kim
Guest Posted March 14, 2003 Posted March 14, 2003 Hi, have just found this site its really good. I am an NQT working in reception, i am just a little panicy because we have not actually received our profiles yet, is this normal? Katielou
Steve Posted March 14, 2003 Posted March 14, 2003 Hi Katielou - We know that lots of teachers in East Sussex haven't yet received their profiles. A couple of the members here are reception teachers. I'll see if I can attract their attention to help you out! Welcome to the forum by the way, and thanks for your comments Regards Steve.
Helen Posted March 15, 2003 Posted March 15, 2003 Hi Katielou, you are not alone!!!! Many reception teachers are still awaiting the arrival of the FSPs. I don't know why the powers that be have left it so late; teachers will have to do a lot of work in such a short space of time to complete them by the end of the summer term, having taken part in moderation, if necessary. Next year of course should be a lot better, always supposing the new FSPs are delivered to schools in the autumn term!
Guest Posted March 15, 2003 Posted March 15, 2003 Hi fellow foundation stage workers First of all don't fret about the profiles - at a recent conference on them that I attended it was made very clear that moderators will not be expecting piles of paper evidence to back up your assessments. It looks as though it is finally getting through that teachers are professionals and a lot of our assessments take place through informal observations and are stored in the old brain. At the same conference it also became clear that the profiles are currently 'out of print' and that copies should be going out to schools within the next 2 weeks - word of warning - don't forget to order them, some teachers presumed they would automatically be sent out. Nice site Jools
Guest Posted March 16, 2003 Posted March 16, 2003 Hi all, I'm currently a reception class teacher and we too are still waiting for the profile booklets. It's a daunting feeling to think of having to fill in all the booklets before the end of year having not received them eh? I have made a start though. I have one copy of a profile booklet and have used it to type up all of the stepping stones statements for each of the areas of learning. I have laminated two copies (one for me and one for my TA) so that we can refer to them during observations. When we now record an observation we write the code of the stepping stone achieved eg, R5 (reading stepping stone- 5) plus the comments. This will make things easier when I come to tick all those little circles in the booklets in a few weeks time. When I do receive the booklets, I too will be relying heavily on all those little bits of info about each child that I have stored away in my little brain. It should be acheivable, I'm sure! If anyone would like me to send them what I have typed up, I'm happy to send it to them by attachment- You'll need Microsoft Publisher to open it. Just send me an email Jen
Guest Posted March 16, 2003 Posted March 16, 2003 You have a good idea Jen and its good to get ahead a little if possible . But... have you had a good look at a booklet yet? Only ( as far as we can make out)...the steps in the booklet do not exactly correspond to the ELG steps. I cant remember off hand ( we only have one copy in school) which bits are missing but we were surprised to find this difference when we looked at the booklet together. If we are wrong please tell me so I too can get prepared like Jen. If we're right ... now what?
Guest Posted March 20, 2003 Posted March 20, 2003 Hi good news profiles arriving at schools near you, well Silverdale anyway (St Leonards) at 3:30 this afternoon, no excuses now not to get going. Good luck everyone. Is anyone writing end of year reports as well, let us know, and if so in what kind of format xxxx
Faye Posted March 20, 2003 Posted March 20, 2003 Hi Sue, Did you all breathe a sigh of relief, or were you secretly hoping they would never come?!
Helen Posted March 20, 2003 Posted March 20, 2003 Hello Sue, Welcome to the site, and thanks for posting I hope you find it useful and pass the address on to hundreds of people!
Guest Posted March 23, 2003 Posted March 23, 2003 Hi I am very concened about the foundation stage profiles How is there time to record observations of children as well as talk to children and teach them? Don't other people find they are constantly being needed by the children in their recption classes. Although I continually observe what is happening in my class there is no time to record it before the next interaction occurs.
Guest Fiona Posted March 24, 2003 Posted March 24, 2003 Hi everyone, Our school in Cambridgeshire received our FSP booklets last Friday. I'm attending a training session this Friday and will report back anything earthshattering that I learn!
Steve Posted March 25, 2003 Posted March 25, 2003 Wowee! Under armed escort I assume? Let us know what you think, and what the training session is like. Who's organising that, by the way - the LEA? Regards, Steve.
Guest Posted March 25, 2003 Posted March 25, 2003 Hello, i have just been on the foundation stage profile training today and foundi all very positive. Yes it will be hard work to start with - no one said it will be easy. I believe however that we you really sit down and look at the booklet and your observations you should quite easily link them up. It will make planning much easier as well. I took my TA along and on the way home talked about how we can implement some of the ideas - we are starting that tommorrow] gotta dash now keep smiling and look on this as a positive experience katielou
Guest Posted March 25, 2003 Posted March 25, 2003 Hello, i have just been on the foundation stage profile training today and foundi all very positive. Yes it will be hard work to start with - no one said it will be easy. I believe however that we you really sit down and look at the booklet and your observations you should quite easily link them up. It will make planning much easier as well. I took my TA along and on the way home talked about how we can implement some of the ideas - we are starting that tommorrow] gotta dash now keep smiling and look on this as a positive experience katielou Good for you.Going on a training day gives us all some new ideas and if you only come out with one idea then its been worthwhile!I love training days!
Guest Fiona Posted March 25, 2003 Posted March 25, 2003 Yes, the course 'Using the Foundation Stage Profile' is being provided by the Cambridgeshire Advisory Service. It's running from 9.15 a.m. - 12.30pm. Can it take that long to teach us how to tick???!
Guest Posted March 26, 2003 Posted March 26, 2003 Yes, the course 'Using the Foundation Stage Profile' is being provided by the Cambridgeshire Advisory Service. It's running from 9.15 a.m. - 12.30pm. Can it take that long to teach us how to tick???! What no lunch provided!!!!!
Guest Posted March 26, 2003 Posted March 26, 2003 wow - it is a lot of information to 'take on board' in one morning. If you watch the training video look out for the tiaras!!!!!! you will know what i mean if you see the video. kl
Steve Posted March 26, 2003 Posted March 26, 2003 How many were on the course Katielou? Was it all one way or was there much discussion, and if so what were the main areas of interest from the teachers point of view? Steve.
Helen Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 Hi Sally, I sympathise with you about completing the profiles in a reception class setting; in a nursery setting, we have a manageable child:staff ration which allows for relatively easier observations and recording of children's achievements. Do you have a classroom assistant on a regular basis, or reliable parent helpers? The additional problem this year of course, is that you haven't got a year in which to complete them, but about eight weeks. Are you going to be moderated in the summer term? That would be an ideal time to express your views to your moderator, and to obtain feedback about other practitioners' methods. This year, I think, has to be viewed as a trial and error period; everyone is learning on the job, aren't they?
Guest Posted March 27, 2003 Posted March 27, 2003 There was about 30 - 35 people on the course - mainly teachers and heads. i felt sorry for the person leading it as she was really just delivering what she had been told and two or three people were just being quite rude about it. By the end of the session though most people were coming round to the idea. The ones who seemed to be complaining were those who had been in teaching for ages and stuck in their own ways. Main areas where about time and whether any extra money would be involved. kl
Guest Posted April 1, 2003 Posted April 1, 2003 katielou I am having nightmares about the tiaras!!!!!!! A word of warning about giving the profiles to parents at the end of term. The profile may be looked on as a negative thing as there is as much to be read into the areas not ticked as the areas that are ticked. This may kick off a debate between parent and practioner on what a child can do. Sometimes these exchanges can be very profitable to both sides but as an end of term report do you want all your professional assessments questioned? I see it as a working document to be sent on to the next class or setting. Jools
Helen Posted April 2, 2003 Posted April 2, 2003 Do you think it would be better to complete the profiles on a computer? That way, there might be a mechanism for printing out just the written parts of the profile (i.e. not the tick list bit), and present that to parents as their end of year report. I'm sure there are some clever programmers out there who could design such a thing!!
Carol Posted April 2, 2003 Posted April 2, 2003 Hi Helen There is a company called Assessease (www.assessease.co.uk) who have a computer based assessment CD (approx £60) but it is based on the Wakefield Assessment Scheme which is slightly different to the way we work. I think the new version is one where you can re write some of the programes to fit in with your own ELGs and assessments. I will let you know what it is like when I get the updated version. carol
Guest Posted April 2, 2003 Posted April 2, 2003 Hi me again yes I do have a classroom assistant in the mornings and will have someone else in the afternoon after easter but we only have lunchtimes to discuss the FSP or other stuff. I was contacted today by my moderator who wants to visit me on the 9th May to see K&U and PSE assesments. I think I won't have it all done by then even though they are only looking at 3 children. I am also looking for help with report writing linked to the FSP statements.
Guest Posted April 3, 2003 Posted April 3, 2003 Hi Sally, Wow, they are not wasting any time, are they. Coming to see 2 areas of assessments in the profiles already!
Helen Posted April 4, 2003 Posted April 4, 2003 Hi, I'm going to be part of the moderating team in the summer term, and am attending a meeting at the end of the month to decide what we will looking at. I wasn't aware that moderators will be advised to look at just two areas. Will let you know what will happen in my neck of the woods. Hi Carol, Thanks for the reference on assessease; I thought someone must have done something like that!
Guest Posted April 22, 2003 Posted April 22, 2003 Hi there Jen, I really like the sound of what you are doing.Ill have to get studying!If it isnt too much trouble could you send me the things you have typed up? My e-mail is arwennarie@hotmail.com Id be very grateful.Its great to chat with other Reception teachers and hear how they work as we can always learn something new. Bye for now
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