Introduction

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to moderateschools and settings implementing the EYFS Profile on a regular basis. Visits will take place on a four-year cycle within each LA1, ensuring that at least 25% of settings will be moderated.In addition to planned visits to all settings on a 4-year cycle, moderation visits/support may be triggered by:

• presence of newly qualified teachers and practitioners new to the EYFS

• requests from the headteacher or manager

• new senior leadership team

• Ofsted concern

• settings with an EYFS cohort for the first time

• concerns identified by the school improvement partner or LA personnel

• data anomalies

• unusual patterns of attainment

• date and / or outcome of last external moderation visit

• non-attendance at training events

• concern relating to the 2016 to 2017 assessment cycle, including maladministration

The purpose of moderation is to:

• secure the consistency and accuracy of judgements made by different

practitioners;

• reassure practitioners that their judgements are accurate, valid and consistent with

national standards; and

• assure 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. 2

If you have received notification that a visit is planned for your school for this coming summer term, the following guidance will be helpful in supporting you through the moderation visit process.

Phase 1: Preparation for moderation

At the time of the visit, the practitioner provides the moderator with a list of the EYFS Profile interim outcomes for each child. The moderator selects five complete profiles across the range of attainment (emerging, expected and exceeding) from each class. These will form the basis ofthe moderation dialogue. The moderator must ensure that within the constraints of the range of attainmentavailable, practitioner judgements for all 17 ELGs are moderated. The moderator isunlikely to scrutinise all 17 ELGs for all five children, but will ensure that judgementsare moderated from each of the three outcome bands (emerging, expected andexceeding). For each ELG the moderator establishes whether the EYFS Profile assessment is being carried out in accordance with statutory requirements and whether practitioner judgements are accurate.

In order to facilitate the selection of the children,the InterimEarly Learning Goal Judgements 2018 table (page 5)showing the attainment of all children in each class needs to be completed before the moderation visit. When completing the electronic visit note the moderator will require the UPN details for the profiles selected.

Selecting any supporting evidence

The precise nature of any evidence selected will vary from school to school, but the practitioner’s knowledge of the child is the most important evidence since this will enable professional dialogue about the child with the moderator.

When selecting evidence to support this discussion practitioners may find it helpful to think about:

  • does this evidence show the moderator the child’s performance over a range of contexts over recent months?
  • does it include some examples which demonstrate how the child (for example)
  • approaches different learning contexts
  • responds to peers and adults?
  • does this evidence (including my knowledge) help demonstrate to the moderator how the decision about the child’s current attainment has been reached?

Phase 2: The moderation visit

Please note that, throughout the visit, the moderation visit notes will be typed with you and uploaded to perspective lite(pendulum) at a later date. (it will be helpful if the moderator has access to a power source).

At the start of the visit …

All EYFS practitioners will need to be relieved of responsibility for their classes in order to facilitate a group discussion with the moderator. Schools and settings are strongly encouraged to involve the Y1 teachers in this and all other discussions to aid the transition process.‘Year 1 teachers should be involved in EYFS profile moderation so that they understand the judgements made by early years practitioners’.2018 EYFS Profile Handbook page 17.

This discussion will focus on the processes underlying the practitioners’ assessment judgements. The kinds of questions the moderator will ask could include:

  • Is the evidence supporting the children’s attainment appropriate?
  • How does the evidence match the band descriptor?
  • Does the description of the child’s characteristics of effective learning match the child’s overall attainment?
  • Who contributes to the children’s profiles within the school/setting?
  • How are the parents’ contributions valued and included within their child’s profile assessments?
  • How are the children’s contributions represented in the profiles?
  • Describe the schools processes for internal moderation.
  • How did internal moderation/linking with other settings take place?

At the end of this discussion all but one of the practitioners will be able to return to their classes, whilst the moderator and the remaining practitioner begin the next part of the visit process – see below.

For the main part of the visit …

Each practitioner will, in turn, need to be relieved of responsibility for their class in order to facilitate individual discussion with the moderator and it will be helpful if this discussion can take place in or near the relevant classroom so that:

  • any additional evidence relating to the selected children can be easily accessed
  • the teacher’s planning/records can be also be accessed.

For each practitioner:

The moderator and practitioner will spend a very short time jointly visiting the practitioner’s classroom in order to observe the selected children in their normal setting. This very brief joint visit will help set the scene for the ensuing discussion about the selected children’s attainment.

At the end of the visit …

The moderator will need to discuss the visit with the headteacher. Practitioners are welcome to join this meeting if this can be arranged.

All statutory and non-statutory guidance materials related to the 2018 EYFS Profile, including the Local Authority Moderation Plan can be viewed on:

Essex Schools Infolink

Contact details:

K.Thompson

Karen Musgrove Karen Thompson

EYFS Profile moderation Manager Lead EYFS P Moderator

Email: Email:

2018 EYFS profile Moderation: Guidance Notes for Schools KT Page 1 of 5

Interim Early Learning Goal Judgements 2018

Please ensure that there is a separate list for each class and that the school and class name is on each list/printout.

Name of class / Teacher Name
Early Learning Goals Emerging=1 Expected=2 Exceeding=3
Child's Surname / Child's Forename / Male/
female / 1 L&A / 2
U / 3
S / 4
M&H / 5
H&SC / 6
SC&SA / 7
MF&B / 8
MR / 9
R / 10
W / 11
N / 12
SSM / 13
P&C / 14
TW / 15
T / 16
E&UM/M / 17
BI
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
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25
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30

2018 EYFS profile Moderation: Guidance Notes for Schools KT Page 1 of 5