Foundation Moderation Rant

[Guest tinkerbell]

here I go again

Another LEA moderation meeting 4pm-6pm, finished at 5.20 because they had nothing more to say.

We were looking at 9's.......the advisers were insistent that 80% of our observations and assessments were to come from continous play.

My Catch 22 how can children be a 9 in writing if they are not 'taught'spelling,handwriting ,punctuation,different forms of writing etc etc,

 

Tinkerbellx

[Marion]

guess they want you to do all that then manage to observe them as they put everything into practice independently not MUCH to ask

I don't get many children achieving 9s

[Guest tinkerbell]

I think when the FS curriculum first came out Heads and managers and us teachers were told these are the points the children should achieve by the end of the foundation stage....re group teachers have realized that point 6 is ok, but managers have not.

I will probably have 1 child on a pont 9 for reading and writing (I have also put her on the gifted and talented list)

Tinkerbellx

[Guest]

I would really like to rant about the FSP and moderation. The FSP is simply not fit for purpose and has taken on a life of its own. I am sure when it was first given to us it came with advice to give a 'best fit tick' - I remember at the time thinking that would take forever. Now, every year more advice comes out giving us all LOADS more work. Every LEA seems to approach moderation in very different ways with different advice. At the end of the day, it seems to me that the points given are very subjective despite moderation.

 

It is also totally unmanagable and while I agree about child-initiated observations etc this is incredibly time consuming.

 

I was recently at a Moderation Course and the goalposts were moved once again - I knew about the 80% child initiated observations (and was ahead of the game in that respect compared to my colleagues ) but we were also told to add 'routines' to this 80% figure.

 

The Advisor also stood up and told us some great ideas about cultural stuff - but as my fellow colleagues pointed out to me - it was all teacher directed ideas - not that helpful when we are all searching for the 80% child-initiated.

 

It's such a shame because it takes up SO much time - time that could be spent playing with children, working on ideas for the children, etc, etc.

 

Last year I really felt like thinking to myself "well a 'good'score is 6 - is this child there, below or above" and just giving a 'best fit' based on 6 being good - rather than looking at every little point within points for everything - I wonder if you would get a vastly different score?!

 

Feel a bit better now.

[Guest]

I totally agree with bungalow!! It has all gone mad! I am refusing to go to any more Early years meetings unless they are compulsory like for end of year moderation and then I am going to tell them how I and so many others are feeling. Best fit is best!! The only statutory bit is to send in the profile points to your LEA- trust yourself and your professional judgements!

[Susan]

Im inclined to think thats the way to go too!