Editor’s View - Back to the Baseline
Monday, April 18, 2016
The many organisations and individuals who have campaigned for the past year against the introduction of the Baseline to assess children from the start of Reception will no doubt feel some satisfaction and relief at the Government’s U-turn – Professor Cathy Nutbrown among them, as she explains in her column.
However, this may only be the start of the battle, rather than the end, despite all the time, effort and money that has apparently been wasted in imposing a competitive system that most could see would not work.
The Government has said that it will be considering options for improving assessment arrangements in Reception, and rumours have circulated that this could be some sort of ‘school-readiness’ measure.
There are various thoughts that occur. Why does the beginning of Reception matter so much, when it is the worst time to subject children to a formal assessment process? A lot of Baseline opponents would like to see the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile retained as it is now producing useful data. And if the EYFS is a meaningful stage in young children’s education, surely it makes sense to assess at the end of this.
There is also the point made by the Better without Baseline Coalition that many children are now in school from three or even two. Again, why assess at the start of Reception?
Finally, a lot of schools do not take notice of the observations and assessments that nurseries and childminders have done while children have attended their settings. There is much in-depth knowledge of children’s development that is not being used.
We could really do without another protracted process that ends with a system not fit for purpose!
