How is children’s learning assessed?

Ongoing assessment (also known as formative assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. Through careful observation of the children we get to know children’s level of achievement and interests, and then shape our teaching and learning experiences reflecting that knowledge. In our interactions with children, we respond to day-to-day observations.

Observations help us to discover what interests a child, see how children interact, see how children manage their feelings, start to see the stage of development and enable us to follow the sequence of development and plan for next steps as well as to see if children are developing the characteristics of effective learning.

By getting to know our children well, you will notice those who struggle to do some of the things that other children may already be capable of. This is part of normal childhood development and may just indicate that, with minor adjustments to our teaching methods, or the provision of small amounts of support, encouragement and additional help, good progress can be made.

We may also complete task-based assessments such as those the ‘Mastering Number’ programme or ‘Unlocking Letters and Sounds’ phonics programme.

In addition, we complete the progress check at two (if a child hasn’t had it completed), the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) and the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP).