Assessment and Recording

Our assessment procedures form the foundation of our individual planning with children and are closely structured.

Some assessment takes place at the time of the initial home visit when the "Assessment Report" is completed with the child's parent(s). This assessment gives the parent an opportunity to talk about their child and to highlight areas of strength and weakness.

On return to nursery all relevant assessments are transferred to the child's "Development Wheel" and/or "Record of Progress and Achievement".

An "Initial Assessment” is carried out towards the end of the "settling in” period, (1 session per week for the term prior to entry into nursery). We look at the way in which the child has adapted to nursery, personal/toilet needs, confidence, relationships, involvement in tasks, drawing skills, independence, speaking, listening, comprehension, writing, speech, and general cognitive aptitude is assessed. This forms the basis for the child's first I.E.P/care plan.

Assessment and record keeping is carried out on a regular basis. Children are assessed against individual targets in their I.E.P.s, against half-termly whole school targets and against criteria set in the assessment wheel.

All children are screened and assessed on entry to nursery by a family support worker trained in the implementation of the Derbyshire Language Scheme. Those children requiring extra input work with the family support worker on a weekly basis and an individual language plan is devised and their progress regularly assessed.

We have a "Record of Progress and Achievement" for every child. This records a child's achievements at stages of development and the sum total, presented to the parent when a child leaves, demonstrates the progression made during a child's time with us thus showing the "value added factor". These provide an evidence base for discussions and consultations. The use of the digital camera allows us to record the processes of learning.

Each child's progress is recorded on the "Assessment Wheel" which enables us to track each child's progress and that of groups of children through all the "stepping stones" to the "early learning goals" in the 6 areas of learning which make up the II Foundation Stage Curriculum".

Children in their final term at nursery are set additional targets in the areas of speaking and listening, letter knowledge, name writing and numeracy and a challenging individual target is set for each child.

We also set individual and group targets for the learning objectives in the half-termly planning and we evaluate the targets at the end of each half term.

All our assessment procedures are used to inform future planning, teaching and learning.