East Sussex Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Moderation Plan

2017-2018

Moderation Manager:

Rowena Dumbrell

Support & Intervention Manager Early Years

01323 466873 07788356418

Strategic Lead:

Claire Roberts

Senior Manager Support & Intervention

01323 466843 07919167690

Contents / Page
Essential Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) documents / 3
The Purpose of Moderation / 4
Statutory duties of the Local Authority (LA) / 4
Statutory duties of Headteachers, Governing Bodies and managers of Early Years settings / 5
Recruitment and training of EYFS moderators / 6
Moderation Cycle / 7
East Sussex Moderation Process / 7
Details for visit 1 – Pre-moderation / 9
Details for visit 2 – Moderation / 10
Reception age children in pre-schools / 11
Specific Profile training and moderation events / 11
Exemplification Materials / 12
Review and evaluation of the moderation process / 12
Appeals procedure for EYFS moderation in East Sussex / 13
Data collection, analysis and quality assurance of the EYFS profile data / 14
Moderation Dates / 14
Moderation Groups details / 15
Appendices– Visit forms / 16

Essential Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Documents:

The EYFS Profile Handbook and the ARA for EYFS are reviewed and revised by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) during the autumn term 2017.

The links below will be updated once revisions are published.

Guidance Materials:

EYFS Profile Handbook 2017

Exemplification materials

Statutory Documents:

The EYFS 2018 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) Revised October 2017

The Statutory Framework for EYFS

The local authority adheres to the guidance provided by the STA in order to carry out an effective moderation process.

EYFS profile moderation: essential requirements and effective practice for local authorities:

The East Sussex EYFS Moderation Plan is shared with all stakeholders, which includes LA colleagues, headteachers, EYFS teachers, managers of private and voluntary settings (when appropriate), independent schools, the moderation team and the LA data team. The plan is reviewed annually with the moderation team.

The information set out below explains the purpose of EYFS moderation and the statutory duty of all stakeholders.

The Purpose of Moderation
Local authorities are responsible for providing a robust moderation process so that practitioners’ judgements are evaluated in line with statutory requirements.
Moderation of the EYFS profile:
  • secures the consistency and accuracy of judgements made by different practitioners
  • reassures practitioners that their judgements are accurate, valid and consistent with national standards
  • assures moderators that an acceptable level of accuracy and validity has been achieved for assessments recorded and reported by the settings for which they have responsibility
p.32 Section 7 Moderation of the EYFS Profile
EYFS Profile Handbook 2017
Statutory duties of the Local Authority
Section 13 of the Childcare Act 2006 requires LAs to undertake moderation activity, including:
  • recruiting and training moderators with appropriate experience of the EYFS and the ELGs to secure consistent standards in assessment judgements
  • regularly visiting all providers as part of a cycle of moderation visits
  • moderating EYFS profile assessment judgements
  • notifying providers about whether they are carrying out the EYFS profile assessment in accordance with requirements
LAs must moderate all 17 ELGs annually in a minimum of 25% of all settings which implement the EYFS profile. Visits will take place on a four-year cycle within each LA.
Moderation focuses on a professional dialogue between moderators and practitioners. It involves a suitably experienced and trained moderator, who is external and independent to the setting, validating practitioners’ judgements. LA external moderators will seek to confirm that:
  • practitioners’ judgements are consistent with the national exemplification of standards
  • practitioners’ assessment of pupil’s attainment are reliable, accurate and secure
LA external moderators may judge that assessments aren’t in line with the exemplified standards. If so, they can require the provider to:
  • arrange for the practitioner to take part in further training or moderation activities
  • reconsider their assessments as advised by the LA external moderator
The 2017 EYFS Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) gives specific guidance about moderation measurements, including requirements for academies.
p.33 Section 7 Moderation of the EYFS Profile
EYFS Profile Handbook 2017
Statutory duties of Headteachers, Governing Bodies and managers of Early Years settings
Headteachers must:
  • ensure an EYFS Profile is completed for all eligible children and data is quality assured
  • ensure provision is made to meet the requirements of all children with special educational needs
  • take responsibility for the reliability of their EYFS Profile outcomes and ensure that the data accurately reflects the level of attainment of the current cohort of children;
  • ensure teacher judgements are monitored
  • ensure EYFS profile data is returned to their LA in accordance with the table in section 2.3 of the EYFS ARA
  • provide EYFS profile assessments to their school’s Governing Body to enable it to comply with national data submission requirements and report to parents
  • ensure the statutory requirements for the transfer of records between providers are fulfilled, including the completion of the common transfer file
Headteachers must also provide parents with a written report of the pupil’s progress against the EYFS ELGs and the opportunity to discuss the profile. If a parent requests it, headteachers will need to provide a copy of the EYFS profile report on their child’s progress free of charge.
Section 5: Legal requirements and responsibilities – Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) 2017
Headteachers, Governing Bodies and managers of Early Years settings should arrange for practitioners who are involved in completing EYFS Profiles to take part in LA moderation activities.
If they receive a moderation visit they must meet reasonable requests from the LA moderator:
  • to enter the premises to carry out the visit
  • to amend assessments
  • for practitioners to take part in further training or moderation activities
  • allow their LA to examine and take copies of documents and other articles relating to the EYFS Profile and assessments
  • provide their LA with such information relating to the EYFS Profile and assessment as it may reasonably request
They are also responsible for ensuring that any of their practitioners who are involved in making assessments have the opportunity to become familiar with effective practice. This may involve:
  • attendance at training courses;
  • visits by moderators to settings;
  • moderation meetings within settings (in-house moderation); and
  • moderation meetings with practitioners from other settings.
Section 3: Moderation – Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) 2017
Providers must take part in all reasonable moderation activities specified by their local authority and provide the local authority with such information relating to the EYFS Profile and assessment as they may reasonably request.
p.15 Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2017
Ofsted inspectors will make judgements on:
  • the breadth of the curriculum and how well it is based on accurate assessment of children’s learning and development, so that activities and experiences meet their needs
  • the proportions of children who have made typical or better progress from their starting points, including disabled children, those with special educational needs and the most able
  • the attainment of the children at the end of Reception compared with Early Years Foundation Stage Profile national figures, including the proportion that achieve a good level of development, particularly in terms of how well children are prepared for Key Stage 1
  • whether outcomes are consistent across areas of learning, particularly in the prime area and the specific areas of literacy and mathematics
  • how quickly disadvantaged children, and any groups that are underachieving, are catching up.
Extract from School Inspection Handbook August 2016
Recruitment and training of EYFS moderators
EYFS Moderators have a thorough understanding and experience of the principles and practice of the EYFS profile and have appropriate EYFS experience. EYFS moderators are recruited from Ofsted good or outstanding settings. All potential moderators apply, with a supporting statement from their headteacher and are observed and interviewed to ensure excellentpractice is exemplified as part of the selection process. The continued participation of moderators is brokered with their Headteacher annually.Moderators are observed periodically in school as part of the ongoing quality assurance process.
Moderators participate in training and evaluation sessions throughout the year and take part in moderation activities, using exemplification of national standards to ensure consistency. Paired moderation visits enable joint reflection on practice and a consistency of approach. New moderators shadow visits with experienced moderators to ensure consistency in approach and a full understanding of the role. They are also mentored by the moderation manager. Moderators take part in Inter LA agreement trialling activities once a year and opportunities to shadow moderation visits in other local authorities are provided.
Moderation Cycle
The LA ensures that at least 25% of schools are moderated annually. All moderation visits take place in the summer term in order to agree judgements before data submission. Moderators use the DfE exemplification materials and the EYFS Profile Handbook to support the moderation process. All17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs) are moderated annually; moderation will not focus on a specific ELG at the expense of others.
All settings receive a moderation visit on a four-year cycle. In addition, moderation visits may be triggered by:
  • newly qualified teachers (NQTs) or teachers who are new to the EYFS
  • requests from the headteacher
  • concerns identified by the school adviser or LA personnel
  • data anomalies/low data
  • non-attendance at training events
  • concerns from the previous year’s moderation visit

The East Sussex Moderation Process
East Sussex operates a two tier approach to LA moderation visits to individual schools.
Two visits
Where there are teachers who are newly qualified or new to reception teaching or where issues have been identified in the previous year, the local authority undertakes a supportive pre-moderation visit during November or December. This visit ensures that systems are in place:
  • to support the teacher in providing appropriate provision to secure children’s progress
  • to ensure that quality evidence is gathered to support judgements
  • to enable the teacher to use data effectively to track progress
In some cases concerns are raised. Where this occurs, practitioners may be signposted to training or follow up visits may be arranged during term 3 or 4.
All schools who have a pre-moderation visit will then also receive a moderation visit in the summer term.
One visit
Other schools, for example, on the four year cycle or those who have triggered during the school year are notified in Term 4 that they will be moderated in May/June.
At both visits, schools must ensure that an appropriate room is available for moderators and practitioners to discuss individual children and moderate evidence.
If you are using electronic evidence please ensure a laptop is available for viewing.
Headteachers, Foundation Stage Leads and reception teachers are invited to a briefing either in October or April prior to the moderation visits to ensure a secure understanding of the moderation processes.
EYFS Profile data should be submitted by Friday 29th June 2018.
Details of the Pre-Moderation visit
Timetable for Visit 1 – Pre-Moderation
Visits will take half a day, and may be longer in larger schools.
1. 10 mins / Arrival and introductions.
2. 20-35 mins (depending on number of classes) / Tour of reception class(es), including observation of children’s interactions in the enabling environment. The characteristics of effective learning will be used to support this observation. The observation needs to be of children engaging in their enabling environment (freeflow and focus group time) rather than observing a class input.
3. Discussion with class teachers – approx 2 hours / Discussion with class teachers in turn to identify:
  • understanding of the EYFS framework, including the characteristics of effective learning;
  • systems for observing, tracking and assessing children’s learning, including whether assessment is predominantly based on evidence from child initiated activities;
  • how the views of parents, carers, children and other professionals are being used to inform assessment;
  • Continuous Professional Development needs;
  • plans for inhouse and/or cross school moderation.

4. 15 mins / Moderators’ discussion and typing up of report.
5. Feedback 15 mins / Meeting with Headteacher and EYFS Leader, visit report signed. An appointment for the moderation visit will be made.
Note: schools will need to provide moderators with the percentage of children on track to meet the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) in the 12 ELGs that contribute to the Good Level of Development (GLD).
Details of the Moderation visit
All schools who are moderated will need to complete Part 1 of the Moderation Form which includes a questionnaire, prior to the visit (see Appendix 2). Schools are required to provide up to date interim judgements at the moderation visit in May/June. This is to be provided on the proforma supplied, as either working towards ELG (1), ELG (2), exceeding (3).
On arrival moderators will select children from each achievement level: emerging, expected and exceeding. They will include children of both genders and may include SEN, PP or EAL. Children with an unusual profile may also be selected.
All parties involved in moderation are encouraged to do a ‘sense check’ when considering the pattern of outcomes for an individual child.
Where possible all reception teachers should be released for the duration of the visit to enable holistic dialogue around the children.
Timetable for Visit 2 – Moderation
Visits will take half a day and may be longer in larger schools.
1. 5 mins / Arrival and introductions.
2. 10 mins / Moderators select pupils from the interim judgements provided by the teachers. (These judgements must be current.)
3. 10 mins / Tour of reception environments.
Teachers to collect evidence for selected children. Evidence should include the practitioner’s knowledge of the child, anecdotal incidents, recorded observations (the majority of which should come from child initiated learning, either on electronic devices or in ‘learning journey’ books), information from additional sources including parents and the child.
4. Evidence review and professional dialogue – around 2 – 3 hours / Moderation for each child in turn. In a single-form entry school five pupils will be moderated. All 17 ELGs will be moderated with some ‘emerging’, some ‘expected’ and some ‘exceeding’ outcomes across the 5 pupils.
In multiple form entry schools, usually three children from each class are moderated. All 17 ELGs are moderated and at least 1 judgement at each of the 3 outcome levels from each practitioner will be discussed. For each child moderation will take account of the child’s characteristics of effective learning.
5. 15 mins / Moderators’ discussion and typing up of report.
6. Feedback 10 mins / Meeting with Headteacher and EYFS Leader, visit report signed.
Where a pre-moderation visit has taken place every effort is made to ensure that the same moderators return in the summer, however this is not always possible. The length of the visit may vary according to the size of the school and depending on discussions that take place.
Reception age children in pre-schools
If a child remains in a pre-school setting rather than moving into a reception class with their cohort, the pre-school will be responsible for completing a profile for the child. If a child is 5 before the 31st August 2018, then a profile must be completed for the child.
The LA consultant team offer support throughout the year for the setting to ensure that staff have a good understanding of the expectations for the end of the year. Training is provided twice during the year and individual support visits are offered.
All pre-school settings with a reception age child receive a moderation visit during May/June.
Specific Profile Training and Moderation Events
Internal moderation is encouraged in all schools. It is good practice to review evidence alongside Year 1 teachers regularly throughout the year.
Inter school moderation is supported by the consultant team through groups which are organised geographically. Moderation groups are all linked into the Early Years Hubs for Excellence who ensure that part of their programme is to include moderation. The moderation meetings enable practitioners to meet in localised groups across the county, to carry out agreement trialling activities. Each group moderates 3 times each year and includes representatives from schools and pre-schools. Group co-ordinators and pre-school Leads record key issues, challenges and positive feedback. Year 1 colleagues are invited to attend all EYFS training and are encouraged to participate in EYFS moderation activities. Registers for moderation group meetings are monitored and non-attendance at moderation group meetings may be followed up, where concerns are raised. Even if a school is receiving an external moderation visit, the school is expected to attend a centrally organised moderation session in Term 5, at the beginning of May.Individual moderationvisits to schools take place after this in mid-May to mid-June. Non-attendance at the central moderation session may trigger a moderation visit in June.
The Local Authority offers a rolling programme of training for all Foundation Stage practitioners; which includes courses that have been identified by need, as well as those that cover all 17 ELGs over a 3 year cycle. This includes understanding the expectations of the EYFS profile and good practice in assessment. It is an essential requirement to attend training on agreement trialling to ensure EYFS profile assessments are in line with the requirements set out in the EYFS statutory framework.
Currently the training programme for the academic year 2017-18 includes:
Training for teaching assistants – Term 1 and Term 6
New to Reception – 4 day course in Terms 1, 2 and 3