The Foundation Stage Profile national results for 2004 have been released (see News, page 4). But will publication of percentages of children working towards, meeting or exceeding early learning goals in 13 different areas prove to be a wise move, if it causes the sort of frustrations and unintended effects that the primary school SATs league tables have prompted? For example, the numbers of children meeting or exceeding the goals appear fairly low in some areas, particularly in 'writing'. This could be taken to mean that Foundation Stage teaching is failing in this area and may well give rise to calls for formal writing skills to be taught earlier.
The Foundation Stage Profile national results for 2004 have been released (see News, page 4). But will publication of percentages of children working towards, meeting or exceeding early learning goals in 13 different areas prove to be a wise move, if it causes the sort of frustrations and unintended effects that the primary school SATs league tables have prompted?
For example, the numbers of children meeting or exceeding the goals appear fairly low in some areas, particularly in 'writing'. This could be taken to mean that Foundation Stage teaching is failing in this area and may well give rise to calls for formal writing skills to be taught earlier.
In fact, the figures really show that it doesn't make sense to have such a goal for children of this age, and that its inclusion is more down to pressure from the National Literacy Strategy than from any sensible assessment of children's development. Many children at this age, especially boys, haven't yet acquired the motor skills that are necessary for formal writing.
Boys look to lag behind girls in every area of these results. But as Opal Dunn shows in her feature 'Talk back' (pages 24-25), there are fundamental underlying differences that we should take into account.
