the review of early years child assessment tools used in wales

The review of Early Years child assessment tools used in Wales

30 November 2012

Audience Local Health Boards (LHBs) and NHS Trusts; Public Health and Health Visiting services; health visitors; Flying Start coordinators/managers; national childcare provider umbrella organisations; children’s voluntary organisations; local authorities; primary and secondary headteachers of mainstream and special schools, other school managers, assessment coordinators and teachers; governing bodies of maintained schools and national bodies with an interest in education; regional education consortia; Foundation Phase and Early Years advisors, Early Years practitioners and clinicians; Care Council for Wales (CCWales); Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CCSIW); Estyn.

Overview This publication contains the findings of scoping research to identify the assessment tools currently being used for the Early Years (0 to 7 years) across health, educational and childcare settings in Wales, including which tools were being used, by whom, with whom and for what purposes.

Action None. This publication is for information only. The findings will berequired used by the Welsh Government to help inform the development of

an Early Years Development and Assessment Framework and suite of developmental assessment tools.

Further Enquiries about this document should be directed to:information Curriculum Division Department for Education and Skills Welsh Government Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ Tel: 029 2082 5751 e-mail: [email protected]

Additional This document can be accessed from the Welsh Government’s copies website at www.wales.gov.uk/educationandskills

Related None. documents

Digital ISBN 978 0 7504 8747 4 © Crown copyright 2013 WG17612

Contents 1. The review and its objectives 4

2. Developing the fieldwork methodology 5

3. Qualitative fieldwork 8 4. The use of Early Years assessment tools – key findings 11 5. Information sharing of Early Years assessment data 31 6. Summary of key findings 44 Appendices

1. Fieldwork materials – topic guide for one-to-one interviews with strategic stakeholders 48

2. Fieldwork materials – online questionnaire for health visitors 57 3. Online questionnaire for childcare practitioners 61 4. Online questionnaire for education practitioners 67 5. Sample for one-to-one telephone interviews 72

6. Sample for childcare online questionnaire 75 7. Sample for education online questionnaire 76 8. Overview of the main Early Years assessment tools identified

as being used currently in Wales 78

9. Overview of locally developed Early Years assessment tools identified as being used currently in Wales 101

10. Overview of the other commercial Early Years assessment tools (and related-programmes) identified as being used currently in Wales 110

11. Glossary 125 12. Acknowledgements


1. The review and its objectives The key purpose of this scoping research was to undertake a review of the

assessment tools currently being used for the Early Years (0 to 7 years)

across health, educational and childcare settings in Wales. The specific

objectives were to:

• identify the full range of Early Years assessment tools currently being

used in Wales to assess children from birth to the end of the

Foundation Phase (0 to 7 years) as used in statutory/non-statutory

settings

• identify how these tools are being used; who is using them, with whom

and for what purpose

• collate, assess, critique and summarise the information and feedback

collected on the main assessment tools

• identify the range of assessment information currently being gathered

on children in the Early Years, to include who this is being gathered by,

for what purposes, how it is being gathered, using what methods, how

it is being held (including using what software), and with whom this

information is being shared.

The report begins by outlining the methodology that was deployed in

collecting the research data. It then moves on to report on the project

objectives. The report concludes with a section that highlights key findings to

have emerged from the review.

At the project inception meeting with Welsh Government policy officials, it was

agreed that the research would be qualitative in nature as it would be

impractical to achieve a fully representative response within the very limited

timescale.

While qualitative research was the most appropriate methodological approach

for this review, it is important to bear in mind that it utilises smaller samples

that are chosen purposively, to ensure representation of a range of views.

Qualitative research is designed to be illustrative and as such the data

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included in this report are not statistically significant; this needs to be taken

into account when interpreting the research findings.

A project delivery plan for the review was finalised following discussion with

the Welsh Government contract manager and had three phases:

• developing the fieldwork materials, sample sets and fieldwork schedule

• qualitative fieldwork

• analysis and reporting.

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2. Developing the fieldwork methodology This phase included development of the following methodologies.

• Topic guides and question banks for one-to-one structured interviews

with strategic leaders and operational managers. Guidance instructions

for facilitating the one-to-one structured interviews were also developed

to ensure a consistent approach across the research team.

• Online practitioner questionnaires for each of the targeted sectors,

namely health visitors, education and childcare.

• Question banks suitable for focus groups from the targeted sectors.

Following discussion with policy officials, minor amendments were made to

the research materials to ensure the necessary information was captured.

(See Appendices 1, 2, 3 and 4 for details.)

Of key importance was the selection of a fully representative sample of

strategic leaders and managers for the one-to-one structured interviews. A

sample set was developed and agreed with the contract manager which

included:

• regional consortia/local authority Foundation Phase/Early Years

advisors

• senior health visitor managers from each of the seven Local Health

Boards in Wales

• Flying Start coordinators/managers

• representatives of the national childcare provider umbrella

organisations

• other stakeholders such as the Care Council for Wales and Children in

Wales, plus regulatory and inspection organisations such as the Care

and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) and Estyn

• local authority officers with Early Years responsibilities

• Flying Start advisory teachers

• Foundation Phase training and support officers.

(See Appendix 5 for details.)

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A limited, geographically and linguistically balanced sample of education

settings and childcare providers was also agreed with the contract manager

for follow-up contact, if necessary, to complete the online practitioner

questionnaire. The sample was inclusive of:

• Flying Start childcare settings

• non-Flying Start registered childcare settings

• Foundation Phase settings; care was taken to not include settings that

were scheduled for inspection. (See Appendices 6 and 7 for details.)

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3. Qualitative fieldwork Research took place across Wales between 24 September and 24 October

2012. The fieldwork methodology for the review involved two stages: service

provider and stakeholder interviews; and fieldwork with practitioners. Initially,

the organisations, groups and individuals selected for one-to-one interviews

were contacted by email and invited to participate in the review. The response

was very positive. In total 34 individual interviews took place either by

telephone or where practicable, face to face which generated detailed

qualitative information.

Qualitative evidence from practitioners was also collected by means of

bilingual online questionnaires for:

• health visitors, both Flying Start and generic

• workers in registered childcare settings

• teachers and others from maintained education settings namely

nursery, infants and primary schools. Information about the online practitioner questionnaires was disseminated in a

variety of ways. For example, maintained schools were informed using the

Welsh Government Pre-11 Dysg e-newsletter. The research team also

worked closely with the All Wales Foundation Phase Advisors Network to

ensure that information about opportunities to participate in the review was

disseminated by local authority officers directly to schools in their areas. Similarly, the national childcare organisations disseminated information about

the online childcare practitioner questionnaire to their members. The research

team also liaised with the Chair of AWARE, and the Chair of the All Wales

Family Information Services Network who kindly agreed to disseminate

information to childcare providers within each local authority area.

Information about the online health visitor practitioner questionnaire was

disseminated with the cooperation of the nominated leads in each Local

Health Board who also nominated two health visitors, one generic and one

Flying Start, for follow-up contact by telephone should it be needed.

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Given the limited time period for the fieldwork, response rates for the online

questionnaires were positive.

Education online questionnaire

Type of school setting No. of responses %

Maintained nursery 9 8.5% Infants 12 11.3% Primary with nursery 70 66.0% Primary without nursery 11 10.4% Special school 2 1.9% Other 2 1.9% Total 106 100.0% This represents approximately 6.3% of the 3–11 schools in Wales

The online questionnaires were completed mainly by headteachers and other

senior leaders (74 per cent) and by classroom practitioners (24 per cent).

Childcare online questionnaire

Type of childcare setting No. of responses %

Private day nursery 19 16.4% Cylch Meithrin 11 9.5% Pre-school playgroup 30 25.8% Childminder 14 12.1% Flying Start Playgroup 24 20.7% Integrated Children’s Centre 5 4.3% Other 13 11.2% Total 116 100

The online questionnaires were completed mainly by childcare leaders (36 per

cent) and setting managers (35 per cent). A wide range of childcare settings

were represented including full and sessional day care, Foundation Phase

nursery provision for the local authority (e.g. part-time education for children

aged three and four), part-time Flying Start provision and wrap around care.

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Health visitor online questionnaire

Type of health visitor No. of responses %

Flying Start 50 72.5% Generic 15 21.7% Flying Start HV Manager 3 4.4% Other; lead health visitor 1 1.4% Total 69 100.0%

The research team also gave awareness-raising presentations, when invited,

at relevant All Wales meetings, for example:

• the Childcare and Play Sector Network, Friday 5 October

• the All Wales Flying Start Coordinators Network, Tuesday 2 October.

Finally, the research team undertook focus group sessions when opportunities

where presented, for example, with the south east Wales Flying Start Advisory

Teachers group, Friday 29 September.

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4. The use of Early Years assessment tools – key findings

This section of the report identifies the range of Early Years assessment tools

currently being used in Wales to assess children from birth to the end of the

Foundation Phase (0 to 7 years) as used in statutory/non-statutory settings.

Young children in Wales are being cared for and learn in many different

settings. Each type of setting operates with different aims, funding, resources,

staffing and quality control procedures. Such diversity of provision not

unexpectedly results in a wide range of practice, in particular in approaches

to, and standards of, child development assessment. Although the focus of

this review was primarily on those assessment tools which are being used on

a universal basis with all children, it quickly became apparent that

practitioners are using a wide range of tools, for different purposes with

different ages of children.

(Further details of assessment tools identified during the course of the review are provided in Appendices 8, 9 and 10.)

The research findings are presented from the perspective of the child by age.

Birth to 12 months

For very young children, universal developmental assessments are

undertaken by health professionals, mostly general practitioners and generic

health visitors, as part of the Child Health Surveillance Programme whereby

children are offered routine reviews at various stages of their life. Health

visitors use their professional judgement based on their knowledge and skills

in child development to carry out ongoing surveillance and to undertake

Health and Developmental reviews.

To support this approach, some Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales have

devised their own assessment tool/checklist based on the principles set out by

Mary Sheridan and the National Child Assessment Framework, a systematic

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approach for gathering and analysing information about children and their

families. For example, a locally developed tool is used by health visitors to

carry out developmental assessments across the Betsi Cadwaladr University

Health Board (BCUHB) area at ages seven to eight months. Community

paediatricians worked with health visitors to agree universal standards of child

development as the tool was developed. They have also provided child

development training for health visitors to ensure a consistent approach to

assessment was adopted across the BCUHB area. Similar tools have also

been developed and are being used in Cardiff and Vale University Health

Board and CwmTaf LHB. Such locally developed tools align with the

requirements of the Healthy Child Programme and provide guidelines on

aspects of child development and the milestones each child should be

achieving within a specific age range. The locally developed tools are used by

generic health visitors to assess the developmental progress of children

against expected norms; typically all aspects of child development are

assessed.

Although no validated commercial tool is used on a universal basis with

children in this age range across LHBs, generic health visitors reported using

a limited range of commercial tools. The Neonatal Behavioural Assessment

Scale is the most referenced tool for newly born infants, whereas the most

commonly used commercial tool for use at 7 to 9 months is the Schedule of

Growing Skills II (SoGS) assessment. For example, SoGS II is used

universally with children aged 7 to 9 months by health visitors from the

Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. In contrast, health visitors

within the Aneurin Bevan and Powys LHBs, use SoGS II selectively,

dependant upon developmental delays being identified at the 7 to 9 month

review. The outcomes of the SoGS assessment contribute to the evidence

required for onward referral to a paediatrician, speech and language therapy

and for case conference purposes.

Some health visitor respondents expressed concern that a SoGS assessment

does not identify vulnerabilities within families where developmental delay in

children can be due to factors such as under stimulation in the home or

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parental pre-occupation with other issues such as debt. As such it was felt

that a SoGS assessment needs to be used in conjunction with a family needs

assessment. In the Hywel Dda LHB area, children in Flying Start areas and

their family, be it at birth or if they move into the area, have a Health Needs

Assessment by health visitors using a ‘family assessment tool’ based on the

National Child assessment Framework. This assessment identifies whether

the child has a low, medium or high need. If identified as having a high need,

the child is reviewed at least monthly; if a medium need is identified, the child

is reviewed on a three monthly basis; however, if a low need is identified, the

child is reviewed as per the universal child health programme. Powys LHB is

currently developing a similar approach.

Although practice varies within and across LHBs, the pattern of infant

observation and assessment most typically described by respondents

corresponds with the expectations of the Healthy Child Programme and is set

out below:

Age Activity/By Commonly used tools

Birth Visit and family

assessment; health visitor

Local Health Board in-house tool Neonatal Behavioural Assessment

Scale

Personal Child Health Record

NICE guidelines on assessment of

post natal depression.

10 to 14

days

New baby review; health

visitor

LHB in-house tool Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale

6 to 8

weeks

Check-up and

immunization; general

practitioner (GP) or other

health professional

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7 to 9

months

Formal health review/

assessment/medical;

health visitor or GP

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) (19) LHB in-house tool (11) Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) (2)

The setting for developmental assessments with children in this age range

varies. Typically the assessment is administered within the home or in a

health setting, e.g. a health clinic or GP surgery, depending on the needs of

the parents/carers and the caseload of the health professional administering

the assessment.

As evidenced by the results of the online questionnaire, the majority of

childcare providers who provide care for children in the 0 to 12 months age

range do not use any tool for child development assessment. Those that do

undertake assessments reported using:

• materials developed in the setting (18 per cent of respondents);

examples given included child day diaries, observation checklists and

learning journals

• Birth to three matters (10 per cent of respondents)

• Baby Effective Early Learning (BEEL)

• NMCA Cymru journals and materials.

Such key worker administered assessments are carried out in the childcare

setting.

12 months to 24 months

For this age range, development assessment practice varies considerably

across LHBs. The use of locally developed tools is prevalent. For example,

within Cwm Taf LHB, a locally developed assessment tool based on the

principles set out by Mary Sheridan and advice from speech therapists and

community paediatricians, known as the Child Health Review at 2 years is

used by generic health visitors. This in-house tool generates evidence that

may indicate a developmental delay especially with regards to autism.

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Community paediatricians subsequently use the Modified-Checklist for Autism

(M-CHAT) tool to screen individual children for autistic spectrum disorder and

autism.

As with the previous age range, no commercial tool is used on a universal

basis across LHBs. The Schedule of Growing Skills II (SoGS) is the

assessment tool predominantly used with children in this age range and is

considered by practitioners to be a robust and reliable tool for identifying

developmental delay. The SoGS assessment is either used universally with all

children, as is the case, for example, in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB, or

SoGS II is used selectively with individual children as a need is identified. The

expectation appears to be that if health visitors make a referral to

physiotherapy, speech and language therapy or community paediatric

services, then they must show clear evidence of developmental delay by use

of a validated assessment tool, normally SoGS II or an equivalent such as the

Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II).

Practice varies within and across LHBs and local authority areas. A summary

of assessment activity is described below (the list of ‘tools used’ is not

exhaustive).

Age Activity/By Tools used

18 months Observation/assessment/

monitoring; health visitor.

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) (31) LHB in-house tool (11)

Denver Developmental

Screening Test II (DDST-II)

(4)

Hall 4 (2)

18 to 22

months

A speech and language tool is

being trialed by speech and

language therapists in Torfaen

CBC.

Well Comm toolkit

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22 to 24

months

Health and development

review; health visitor or GP.

Schedule of Growing Skills

II assessments (SoGS II)

(26)

LHB in-house tool (9)

Autism screening (Abertawe

Bro Morgannwg University

Health Board); community

paediatrician.

Modified checklist for autism

in toddlers

(M-CHAT).

Flying Start on-entry baseline

assessment; Flying Start health

visitor.


II assessments (SoGS II).

Well-being and involvement

assessment; three times per

year; Flying Start advisory

teachers in Cardiff Flying Start

settings.

A locally developed

assessment tool based on

the work of Ferre Laevers.

(Leuven Well-being and

Involvement Scales).

24 months

On-entry baseline assessment

in Swansea, Ceredigion and

NPT Flying Start areas;

administered by childcare

workers overseen by the Flying

Start advisory teacher who

trains the childcare workers in

its use.

Locally developed

Development Tracker which

shows development

milestones from 18 to 48

months. The assessment is

repeated a further three

times during the child’s year

in the childcare setting.

The setting used for developmental assessment for children in this age range

varies. Health visitor administered assessments are typically carried out within

the home or in a health setting, e.g. a health clinic or GP surgery.

Alternatively, the key worker/Flying Start advisory teacher administered

assessments are carried out in the childcare setting. In Powys, Flying Start

health visitors invite a practitioner from the childcare setting to the child’s

home to observe the 24 month SoGS assessment.

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As evidenced by the results of the online questionnaire, the majority of

childcare providers who provide care for children in the 12 to 24 months age

range do not use any tool for child development assessment. Those that do

undertake assessments reported using:

• materials developed in the setting (13 per cent of respondents)

• Birth to three matters (8.6 per cent of respondents)

• Baby Effective Early Learning (BEEL)

• NMCA Cymru journals and materials

• Early support developmental journal; for parents/carers of children with

additional learning needs

• commercial tools such as the ’First STEp’ assessment tool are used in

non-Flying Start Mudiad Meithrin cylchoedd meithrin to look specifically

at aspects of personal and social development and welfare, language

and communication skills, physical, numerical and creative skills.

24+ months to 36 months

For this age range, practice varies according to the type of setting and the

background of the practitioner undertaking the assessment. Types of

assessment tool which prevail include:

• LHB in-house tools

• a tool required by a national programme (Flying Start), e.g. SoGS II

• other commercial tools

• locally developed child development assessment tools and trackers.

SoGS II is the assessment tool used in all Flying Start areas/settings across

Wales to identify whether child development at 24 months is within normal

limits, that any deficit is identified and future planning is informed. In Newport

CBC, as a condition of the Service Level Agreement with providers, children

are not admitted to Flying Start settings until a SoGS II assessment has been

completed. This approach has resulted in an almost 100 per cent completion

of 24 month SoGS assessments. SoGS II assessments are also repeated with

children at 36 months of age in Flying Start settings to provide a standardised

measure of child development.

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In addition to SoGS II, practitioners in Flying Start childcare settings are also

using a range of additional assessment and tracking tools. For example, six

Flying Start and four registered settings in Merthyr Tydfil CBC have been

using the Early Years Child Development Profile Assessment Tool (CDP)

developed from the Foundation Phase Child Development Profile Guidance

(Welsh Government, March 2009) for on-entry assessment with two-year-olds

for the past two years. The Early Years/Flying Start advisory teacher has

worked closely with development officers from the Wales Preschool Providers

Association (WPPA) and Mudiad Meithrin (MM) to support settings. The

childcare key worker observes and assesses each child, identifying for each

development criterion if a child has achieved (A) or is developing (D) the

specified behaviour. The assessment is ‘checked’ by the setting leader and

consistency of practice is monitored by the Flying Start advisory teacher. The

outcomes of the initial assessment are reported to and discussed with

parents/carers. The information is used for a variety of purposes including

development planning, short-term target setting, identification of possible

developmental needs and as a baseline for value added measures.

Similarly, an on-entry baseline assessment is also undertaken with two-year-

olds in registered childcare settings in Swansea, Ceredigion and Neath Port

Talbot Flying Start areas. A locally developed Development Tracker which

shows development milestones from 18 to 48 months is administered by

childcare workers, overseen by Flying Start advisory teachers who train the

childcare workers in its use. The tracker is used to repeat assessments a

further three times during the child’s year in the setting. The final assessment

is used as the child’s transition document on exit from the setting.

The reasons given for these locally developed approaches to child

development assessment are complex, varied and include the following.

• To be compatible with the requirements of the National Minimum

Standards (NMS) for Regulated Child Care; NMS Standard 3:

Assessment Outcome: All children have their needs and preferences

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identified and their parents know how these needs will be met; and

NMS Standard 4; Meeting individual needs.

• To meet Estyn Common Inspection Framework requirements for

non-maintained settings.

• In Flying Start settings it would appear to be a result of the lack of

sharing on a consistent basis of 24 month SoGS II assessment

outcomes by Flying Start health visitors with childcare practitioners.

• To meet the requirement of the national childcare organisations.

The National Day Nursery Association (NDNA) recommends the use of the

Baby Effective Early Learning (BEEL) quality assurance tool. This quality

mark, which is not compulsory, looks at the education, environment and the

quality of care settings provide for all children under three years old. Settings

are awarded the NDNA quality assurance mark following submission of

self-evaluation reports, supporting evidence, parental interviews and a half

day inspection. Also the NDNA’s online quality assurance tool for nurseries,

e-Quality Counts, includes a module entitled ‘Observation and Reflection to

Inform Practice’ which sets out standards to support the development of an

in-house assessment tool.

The National Child Minder Association Cymru (NCMA) does not require the

use of assessment tools by their membership as each child minder operates

on a self-employed basis and follows local authority guidelines for funded

places such as Flying Start. NCMA Cymru has a Quality Award which requires

the child minder to evidence how they meet the various strands. As a model of

good practice, NCMA Cymru recommends that assessment tools be used in

both their training materials and workshops, however, specific tools are not

identified.

In the absence of updated Welsh Government guidance for child assessment

in childcare settings, private/non-Flying Start childcare settings have in

general developed their own systems to assess and record each child’s

developmental progress. Some practitioners have drawn upon Birth to three

matters (Department for Education and Skills, 2002), a framework which

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provides information on child development, effective practice, examples of

activities which promote play and learning, guidance on planning and

resourcing, and ways to meet diverse needs.

Normally childcare workers have had some training in child observation and in

undertaking formative assessments, often provided by a Development Officer

from their national organisation. However, the criteria against which such

judgements are made often vary across settings and may lack precision so

are open to interpretation by practitioners. The need for moderation within

settings and cluster moderation across settings is essential but difficult in

practice to achieve. High rates of staff turnover also present a challenge and

there is a need to continually train and up-skill practitioners. Typically

childcare settings use paper-based child development records to collect

assessment information about each child and Learning Journal documents to

record the achievements and progress of individual children.

As indicated, practice varies within and across LHBs and local authority areas.

A summary of assessment activity is described below (the list of ‘tools used’ is

not exhaustive).

Age Activity/By Tool(s) used

24 to 27

months

Health and development

review; health visitor.

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) (27) LHB in-house tool (19)



(2)

Hall 4 (2)

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Health review/development and

immunisation check; health

visitor (or possibly GP).

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) LHB in-house tool (8)

Flying Start on-exit

assessment; Flying Start health

visitor and/or childcare worker.


II assessments (SoGS II) 36 months

Foundation Phase on-entry

baseline assessment;

classroom practitioner/

childcare key worker.

Materials developed in the

setting

Locally developed tool

CDAP in its entirety or

partially

Commercial tool

Health visitors primarily use their preferred assessment tool, be it a LHB

developed tool or a commercial tool, in one to one sessions with the child and

parent(s). At 24 months, SoGS II assessments are almost always

administered by the Flying Start health visitor in the home or occasionally in a

health care setting. At 36 months, on exit from the Flying Start setting, the

SoGS II assessment is administered either in the home or health clinic by the

health visitor, or more commonly in the childcare setting, enabling childcare

practitioners to jointly work with the Flying Start health visitor. Foundation

Phase on-entry baseline assessments are usually carried out by the childcare

key worker or the classroom practitioner, supported by teaching

assistants/higher level teaching assistants, in the child’s funded setting.

As evidenced by the results of the online questionnaires, there is no clear

pattern of child development assessment by childcare providers who provide

care for children in the 24 to 36 months age range. When asked ‘Is the

Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment Profile (CDAP) (Welsh

Government, 2011) used for on-entry baseline assessment?’ childcare

providers gave the following responses.

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Yes in its entirety 19% Yes – partially 20% No 61%

For those providers that are not using the CDAP for on-entry baseline

assessment, the alternative range of assessment tools reported as being used

includes:

• materials developed in the setting

• the local authority baseline tool used prior to the introduction of the

CDAP

• a locally developed tool, e.g. The Learning Journey, Wrexham CBC

• commercial tools, e.g. Teaching Talking

• in a minority of cases, materials downloaded from the internet including

the Early Year Foundation Stage Profile for use in settings in England.

In 70 per cent of cases, childcare providers use an assessment tool(s) which

assesses children’s achievements in each of the seven Foundation Phase

Areas of Learning. Childcare practitioners mostly use their preferred

assessment tool, be it a locally developed tool or a commercial tool, when

observing children during planned learning and play activities within the

setting. Such opportunities are supplemented where necessary with planned,

one to one assessment-focused sessions with the child.

The results of the schools’ online questionnaire indicate a similar pattern of

child development assessment by education practitioners. When asked ‘Is the

Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment Profile (CDAP) (Welsh

Government, 2011) used for on-entry baseline assessment?’ education

practitioners gave the following responses.

Yes in its entirety 18% Yes – partially 45% No 37%

In the absence of an All Wales on-entry baseline assessment tool, maintained

schools have discretion to decide which assessment tool to use. For those

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schools that are not using the CDAP for on-entry assessment, the alternative

range of assessment tools reported as being used includes:

• materials developed in the setting; in some cases schools have

adapted the original CDAP descriptions of behaviour to meet their own

needs. For example, materials developed in partnership by maintained

nursery schools and the Integrated Children's Centre in Cardiff

• the local authority baseline tool used prior to the introduction of the

CDAP

• a locally developed tool, e.g. an amended version of the CDAP, linked

to Foundation Phase outcomes, often focusing on the statutory areas

of learning, namely Language, Literacy and Communication Skills,

Mathematical Development and Personal and Social Development,

Well-Being and Cultural Diversity

• other commercial tools, e.g. Incerts, Performance Indicators in Primary

Schools (PIPS).

Some Foundation Phase advisors have issued guidance to schools to ensure

practitioners are aware of the Welsh Government requirement for on-entry

baseline assessment. The specific advice given varies. For example, the

Central South and south east Wales regional consortia have advised settings,

as an interim measure, to use a ‘watered down’ version of the CDAP but with

a focus on the four aspects of development, Personal, Social and Emotional,

Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, Sort, Order and Number, that

align most closely with the statutory end of Foundation Phase outcomes.

Some schools in Cardiff have reverted to using the pre-CDAP Cardiff and

Vale baseline assessment tool whilst others have developed their own

in-house hybrid tool based on elements of the CDAP and other commercial

tools. School leaders have concerns about family of schools data and

satisfying the assessment-related evidence requirements for inspection.

Estyn require that children’s progress and achievements are not based solely

on outcome data, but there must be a valid baseline against which to compare

progress.

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Some schools are producing their own documents which are almost as

complex as the CDAP in their anxiety to do the right thing.

Foundation Phase training and support officer

Foundation Phase training and support officers encourage practitioners to

collect assessment evidence of a child’s possible developmental need at an

early stage as this helps to speed up the referral process. Early intervention is

not always possible however, as education psychologist support is limited.

To meet the local need to have a reliable, valid assessment tool, Wrexham

CBC has worked collaboratively with practitioners to develop a local

assessment tool, the ‘Learning Journey’, for use with children from

approximately 18 months/24 months up to national curriculum Level 4. The

focus is on the holistic development of the child, the stage of development

achieved not the child’s age. The Learning Journey tool is used for on-entry

baseline assessment at three years of age, ongoing formative assessment

and end of phase summative assessment purposes. The on-entry

assessment element of the tool is aligned with Foundation Phase outcomes.

The tool is also used to inform planning, track children’s progress across the

Foundation Phase and to set short, medium and long term targets. Hard

copies of the ‘Learning Journey’ have been distributed to all schools within the

Wrexham CBC area.

An electronic version has also been developed which is compatible with

school information management systems so assessment information can be

fully integrated into all aspects of strategic school planning. Uptake is reported

as being very positive with almost 100 per cent of schools now using the

‘Learning Journey’. Training for the use of the ‘Learning Journey’ for

headteachers and Foundation Phase leaders is being rolled out this term.

Conwy CBC is currently introducing the same tool to its schools.

Whatever their chosen tool, in 67 per cent of cases, education practitioners

reported using an assessment tool(s) which assesses children’s

achievements in each of the seven Foundation Phase Areas of Learning.

22


Approximately two thirds of childcare providers surveyed think that the

assessment tool(s) that they are using is very helpful in enabling them to

identify a child’s developmental needs. However, only 57 per cent of schools

and 55 per cent of health visitors surveyed think that the assessment tool(s)

that they are using currently is very helpful in enabling them to identify a

child’s developmental needs at an early stage. See below for details.

How helpful is the assessment tool(s) used to identify a child’s developmental needs?

Very

Quite

Not

Health visitors

55% 41% 4%

Childcare practitioners

67% 30% 3%

Education practitioners

57% 38% 5%

36+ months to 72 months For this age range, child development assessments are mainly formative in

nature and are primarily undertaken in childcare settings and maintained

schools.

From the information provided by health practitioners, health-related

assessments for children in this age range include the following.

Age Activity/By Tools used

36 to 40

months

Developmental assessment;

health visitor

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) (24) LHB tool (12)



Hall 4 (2)

48 months Developmental assessment on

a needs basis; health visitor

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS II) (12) LHB tool (7)

23


When asked ‘Is the Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment Profile

(CDAP) (Welsh Government, 2011) used for on-going assessment?’ childcare

providers and education practitioners reported the following.

Childcare Education Yes in its entirety 18% 6% Yes – partially 22% 23% No 60% 71 %

The school findings are not unexpected given that the Foundation Phase

Child Development Assessment Profile descriptions of behaviour are not

aligned with the statutory End of Foundation Phase outcomes. It is slightly

surprising to find that 40 per cent of childcare settings are using the CDAP in

some way for on-going assessment.

Typically Foundation Phase advisers do not recommend specific commercial

assessment tools and their perception, confirmed by evidence from the online

questionnaire, is that practice varies considerably across, and in some cases

within, local authorities.

For those 82 per cent of childcare providers and 94 per cent of schools that

are not using the CDAP in its entirety for on-going assessment, the alternative

range of assessment tools reported as being used includes:

• commercial tools, e.g. Incerts is the most commonly used tool;

anecdotal evidence from Estyn suggests that more than 50 per cent of

primary schools in Wales are now using this online tool. For example, it

is reported that Incerts has been introduced in all primary schools in

Monmouthshire and Torfaen CBCs. Linked to Foundation Phase

outcomes, Incerts adopts a mastery approach with continuity from 3 to

7-years-old and beyond. The tool shows distance travelled against

sub-statements of end of Foundation Phase level descriptors, enabling

in-school discussions about and moderation of assessment

judgements. The collated data is used to inform planning and to

compare the progress of targeted learners, e.g. FSM, against the whole

cohort

24


• materials developed in the setting

• local authority developed tools, e.g. The Learning Journey; most of the

locally developed assessment tools focus broadly on cognitive and

behavioural areas. For cognitive areas, this is primarily assessment of

early literacy and communication skills, alongside assessment of

mathematical development. For behavioural aspects, the assessment

focus is on personal, social and emotional development

• Welsh Government guidance materials, e.g. in special schools, Routes

for Learning is used to assess the early communication and cognitive

development of children with profound and multiple, complex additional

needs. The information contributes to the six month review (for children

under the age of five) and the annual review process.

Useful features

When asked ‘What are the most useful features of the assessment tool(s) that

you use?’ health visitors identified the following general features.

• Effectiveness as a guide to determine appropriate developmental

milestones.

• Usefulness for identifying developmental needs and the likelihood of

developmental delay.

• Objectivity to support professional judgement.

• Provides a reliable source of high quality evidence for other

professionals.

• Ease of use and administration.

• Clarity and precision of language.

• Consistency of approach.

• Needs to be flexible enough to fit in with the requirements of both the

child and practitioner.

• Ease of scoring and interpretation.


you use?’ childcare practitioners identified the following features.

25


• Useful in identifying children with possible developmental delays and

for informing future planning/next steps.

• Assessment criteria are broken down into individual statements which

can be used as targets and for both planning and assessment.

• Manageable administration.

• SoGS II is accepted as being a reliable, valid assessment tool by

health professionals including paediatricians and speech and language

therapists

• SoGS II generates a visual profile that makes it easier for parents to

understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses.


you use?’ education practitioners identified the following features.

• Provides a comprehensive profile of each child’s ability by

developmental stage.

• Reliable, objective judgements against precise criteria.

• Clear continuity and progression.

• Assessment criteria are aligned with end of Foundation Phase

outcomes.

• Links directly with the seven Foundation Phase Areas of Learning.

• Provides a valid baseline for predicting future performance; a useful

value added measure.

• Provides valuable planning data for setting short and medium targets

for children.

• Enables tracking of a child’s progress across the Foundation Phase.

• Can be used for baseline, formative and summative assessments.

• Relatively easy to administer.

• An individual child friendly assessment, i.e. the assessment does not

cause stress to the child.

• Recognises individual progress but not necessarily in a linear format.

From a local authority/regional consortium perspective, advisors would

welcome a tool that generates high-quality, reliable comparative data to inform

26


their programme of support and challenge, enabling targeted interventions in

those settings requiring additional support.

Limitations

When asked ‘What, if any, are the limitations of the assessment tool(s) that

you use?’ practitioners identified the following issues.

• Lack of progression; assessment tools only provide a snapshot of the

child at the time that the assessment is carried out.

• On-entry baseline assessments at three years are carried out on

children of very different early years experiences, for example those

from Flying Start and non-Flying Start childcare settings.

• Time consuming to administer; particularly with large groups of children

in childcare settings that provide both full and sessional day care.

• Prescriptive, inflexible assessment criteria and recording forms which

do not allow for professional judgement.

• Recording of assessment data electronically is a challenge as access

to IT facilities is limited in many childcare settings.

• Staff turnover is a challenge in non-maintained settings and can result

in inconsistency when making judgements.

• Materials developed in the setting may have drawn upon several

different assessment tools so lack coherence.

SoGS II specific comments included:

• time consuming to administer

• relatively expensive; there are financial implications to consider when

using a SoGS II assessment in non-Flying Start settings

• perceived by some practitioners to be less effective at identifying

language delay, behavioural issues and to assess emotional

development and infant interaction

• perceived as prescriptive; relies on children being able to carry out

specific tasks which even those with age appropriate development are

not always able to achieve. Examples given include the 'self care'

section where the expectation in that children are able to remain dry

27


overnight at the age of three which is often unrealistic and creates low

scores in this section

• some skills areas, particularly speech and language, rely on parental

reporting which can affect the accuracy of the scoring.

28


5. Information sharing of Early Years assessment data

This section of the report identifies the range of assessment information

currently being gathered on children in the Early Years to include for what

purposes the information is gathered, how it is being gathered, using what

methods, how it is being held (including what software is used), and with

whom this information is being shared.

Purpose

When asked to identify the purposes for which their chosen assessment

tool(s) is being used, health visitors who completed the online questionnaire

provided the following responses.

Purpose % of

respondents

To monitor development/progress 97%

To identify a child’s strengths and any developmental needs 90%

To inform parents/carers of children’s development 90%

To inform other health professionals of the developmental

needs of individual children 83%

To inform other agencies of the developmental

needs of individual children 74%


tool(s) is being used, childcare practitioners who completed the online

questionnaire provided the following responses.

Purpose % of

respondents


To identify his/her strengths, interests and developmental

needs 94%

29


To inform parents/carers of children’s achievements and

next steps for their learning and development 86%

To get to know the individual child 83%

To inform colleagues of children’s achievements and next

steps for their learning 81%

To form an on-entry baseline assessment 79%

To meet the National Minimum Standards for Regulated

Child Care (Welsh Government, March 2012) 75%

To inform other practitioners, e.g. health professionals of the

developmental 74%

To inform transition throughout the Foundation Phase 70%

To meet the quality standards expected by your

membership organisation 60%

To compare the particular strengths and needs for the group

as a whole 57%

To inform children of their achievements and next steps for

their learning and development 56%


tool(s) is being used, education practitioners who completed the online


Purpose % of

respondents


To identify his/her strengths, interests and developmental

needs 93%

To inform transition throughout the Foundation Phase 91%

To form an on-entry baseline assessment 86%

To inform colleagues of children’s achievements and next

steps for their learning and development 85%

To inform parents/carers of children’s achievements and

next steps for their learning and development 86%

30


To get to know the individual child 78%

To compare the particular strengths and needs for the group as a whole 71%

To inform transition between the Foundation Phase and Key

Stage 2 71%

To inform other practitioners, e.g. health professionals of the

developmental needs of individual children 69%

To inform children of their achievements and next steps for their learning and development 65%

The results across health, childcare and education sectors show a

considerable degree of uniformity with practitioners focusing very much on the

needs of the child and the importance of sharing relevant information with

parents/carers.

How is the assessment information being gathered? Health visitors use a variety of methods to record developmental assessment

information. The most commonly reported methods are:

1. On paper using a standardised recording form

Paper copies are forwarded to the LHB and the information is inputted into the

All Wales National Child Health Database by administrative staff. For

example, in BCUHB a paper record in triplicate is generated; copies go to

parents, the LHB for data inputting and final copy is retained by the health

visitor. Similarly in Cwm Taf LHB copy sheets from the assessment are sent

to Community Child Health Office where the information is stored centrally in

both paper and electronic formats. Health visitors in Hywel Dda LHB

undertake initial assessments on paper and then an electronic system, the

‘TRIBAL’ data base, is used to record assessment information from Flying

Start settings only.

2. Using an electronic computer-based profile

For example, health visitors in Cardiff and Vale LHB record the initial

developmental assessment on paper but then the enter assessment

information onto the PaRIS electronic profile (Patient record information

31


system) to create an Electronic Patient Record. The Child Health Surveillance

Programme captures information for national reporting. Similarly Flying Start

health visitors from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, use

the local authority PaRIS electronic recording system.

Some LHBs have also trialed electronic recording systems (not specified)

which do not work effectively as they rely on mobile phone reception which is

unpredictable in rural areas. For example, Cwm Taf LHB trialled a hand-held

electronic data collection system two years ago using the community

information system (CIS), however, due to reorganisation this work has not

progressed. In Powys LHB all contacts by Flying Start health visitors are

recorded centrally on an electronic data base (not specified) held by the local

authority.

3. On paper as a record of practitioner’s field notes, observations and

assessments

After the initial paper record is produced during the assessment, practice then

varies. In some LHBs, e.g. Aneurin Bevan LHB, practitioner’s field notes and

observations are recorded on paper in the home during the child’s

assessment and recorded in the Personal Child Health Record, the national

standard health and development record. Alternatively, in some LHBs the

generic health visitor’s written data is subsequently inputted onto an electronic

record and the paper notes shredded.

Practitioners in childcare settings use a variety of methods to record

developmental assessment information. The most commonly reported

methods are: 1. On paper, e.g. practitioner’s field notes and observations

For example, in Gwynedd practitioners record formative assessment

information on post-it notes and post-observation sheets. They subsequently

transfer the information to the child development file for each individual.

Secure storage of child assessment records is a particular issue in

non-maintained settings where facilities are often shared with other users.

32



For example, the Development Tracker used in Swansea is a paper-based

proforma consisting of a one page check list of milestones for each area of

child development. Completed copies of the assessment are sent to the

central Flying Start office and inputted onto a computer record, using Excel,

for each child.


For example, in Cardiff Flying Start settings SoGS and NBAS assessments

are recorded on the PaRIS electronic profile via the Local Health Board.

Flying Start and registered childcare settings in Merthyr Tydfil CBC have been

successfully using the Child Development profile (CDAP) electronic database

for the past two years. The remaining childcare settings across Merthyr Tydfil

were given the CDP database in spring 2012. However not all settings have

access to secure IT equipment. In such cases, paper copies of the CDP have

been completed manually. The electronic tracking system is able to generate

a profile for each child and, if required, for groups of children.

Practitioners in school settings report that they use a variety of methods to

record developmental assessment information. The most commonly reported

methods are:


Increasingly schools are using electronic tracking systems to store the

outcomes of their on-entry baseline assessments and ongoing formative

assessments. Examples include a locally developed local authority tool such

as the Learning Journey in Wrexham CBC, or their own in-house tool, e.g.

SIMS assessment manager. Examples of commercial tracking tools include

Incerts, Classroom Monitor and 2Build a Profile.

2. On paper, e.g. practitioner’s field notes and observations and stored in the

setting.

33



For example, the Learning Journal used in Wrexham CBC, has, for on-entry

baseline assessment, an OMS standardised mark sheet which is available in

paper and electronically; it is a school decision as to which format to use. The

electronic version can be entered onto the school information management

system (SIMS). Wrexham CBC has worked with Capita to develop the

required software to be compatible with SIMS assessment manager and there

is no additional cost to schools. The software is able to run reports by age,

gender, free school meals (FSM), etc., to provide information on potentially

vulnerable groups.

In some cases, Foundation Phase advisers interviewed did not know how

on-entry assessments are being recorded currently or if those schools that are

using the CDAP in its entirety or partially are using the CDAP recording form

to gather the information. Given the significant change to roles resulting from

the establishment of regional consortia, they had not had an opportunity to

visit schools, during the period of research, to monitor practice.

With whom is the developmental assessment information being shared? Health visitors report that they share developmental assessment information

with the following groups.

Parent/carers 99% Other health professionals 75% The Local Health Board 36% Other Early Years education practitioners 35% Other practitioners, e.g. Flying Start coordinators 29%

Childcare practitioners report that they share developmental assessment

information with the following groups.

Parents/carers 96% Other practitioners in the setting 79% Receiving schools 73% The local authority/education professionals 62% Health professionals 59% I do not know how the developmental assessment information I gather is used beyond my setting 2%

34


The national childcare organisations do not collect child development

assessment data from their members. In terms of information sharing on

transition from non-maintained to maintained settings, practice is variable

within and across local authorities. It would appear in some cases that school

settings have a lack of trust in assessment judgements made in

non-maintained settings. Schools may dismiss the information due to

perceived variability of practice in pre-school settings or they are simply

unaware of the range of assessment evidence that is being collected in

pre-school settings. Education practitioners report that they share

developmental assessment information with the following groups.

Other practitioners in school, e.g. SENCO, Inclusion coordinator 96% Parents/carers 84% The local authority 57% Health professionals 51%

Perceptions are that there is improved sharing of information within settings

and a developing culture of shared responsibility and accountability for a

child’s progress across a phase or key stage.

Given the range of assessment practice and tools used in schools within and

across local authority boundaries, collection of data for comparative purposes

has no value and consequently does not take place. The exception is

Wrexham CBC where schools are strongly encouraged to use the Learning

Journey and on-entry baseline assessment data is collected electronically by

the local authority. End of Foundation Phase outcome data are shared with

the local authority and collated electronically for national data collection (NDC)

purposes. Foundation Phase advisors reported having difficulty accessing

DEWi, the national Data Exchange Wales Initiative.

The Wales Accord on the Sharing of Personal Information (WASPI) provides a

framework for service-providing organisations, including those in health and

education to, where appropriate, share personal information on individuals;

legally, safely and with confidence. The Flying Start programme also has

specific requirements around information sharing. However, from the evidence

35


gathered, reciprocal sharing of child development assessment information

across settings and agencies does not appear to be the norm and practice

varies considerably across Wales.

When asked ‘Do other settings and agencies share their child development

assessment information with you?’ practitioners who completed the online


Health visitors

Childcare practitioners

Education practitioners

Yes – always 10% 8% 5% Yes –sometimes 62% 52% 70% No 28% 40% 25%

SoGS II outcomes are consistently shared with local and regional Flying Start

coordinators electronically and also reported nationally to the Welsh

Government. However, practice at local level varies considerably. For

example, the outcomes of SoGS assessments are not shared uniformly with

Flying Start advisory teachers and Flying Start childcare practitioners across

local authorities which can be a source of frustration.

In some areas it is standard practice for the initial 24 month SoGS II

assessment results to be shared routinely. For example, Flying Start childcare

settings in Cardiff receive the 24 month SoGS II results which identify any

child that requires extra support. SoGS II results are discussed with

parents/carers who are routinely informed about their child’s progress.

Parents/carers sign a consent form regarding sharing of information and

individual children are referred to other professionals if required, e.g. speech

and language therapist, dietician, physiotherapist, paediatrician. In other local

authority areas, however, SoGS II assessment results are only shared with

parental consent on ‘a need to know basis’ or if a developmental delay is

confirmed.

A similar tale emerges regarding the 36 month SoGS II assessment. In some

areas the Flying Start health visitor works with the child’s key worker to

complete the final 36 month SoGS II assessment. However, in other areas,

36


the 36 month assessment outcomes are not shared with the childcare setting

which in turn creates difficulties when the child’s transition document is being

prepared.

Typically child development information is shared with the parents/carers and,

with their consent, other health professionals. In Flying Start areas of Neath

Port Talbot, development assessment information generated by the

Developmental Tracker is made available for parents/carers in the childcare

setting but is used mainly by practitioners and the Flying Start team to plan

the future support needs of the child. Information is only shared with other

professionals if there is a concern on ‘a need to know basis’.

Referral protocols and pathways are in place, e.g. children in need,

safeguarding, direct practitioner referrals for specific therapies, audiology and

portage which enable anonymised information to be shared more widely with

other professionals. The format by which referrals are made varies. For

example, in Powys referrals are made on paper using the designated referral

forms for each service. The SoGS II assessment is attached with the referral

to the paediatrician. If the referral is to an external agency such as Action for

Children or Barnardos, then the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

assessment is also attached.

In other LHB areas referrals may be verbal, written referral by letter or

electronic depending on the procedures adopted. For example, in Cardiff

Flying Start settings, if information is gathered that indicates further tests are

required then a ‘Goal for Actions’ sheet is completed by the key worker in the

childcare setting and shared with parents/carers and others in the following

ways.

• electronically where possible through PaRIS

• paper referral forms

• multi-agency meetings, e.g. Early Years Forum

• verbally.

37


Local authorities also have transition documents which vary in format.

Usually, the childcare key worker agrees the content with parents/carers and

the transition document is passed to the receiving setting as a paper record.

There is no evidence of electronic transfer of assessment information from the

childcare setting to the receiving setting. The Common Transfer System works

effectively between maintained settings.

Health visitors also share information, with parental consent, before children

enter a maintained setting so that teachers are informed if an individual child

has a developmental delay that needs more input and support. A face-to-face

handover of information is normally arranged for children with an identified

developmental need but who are not necessarily on the special educational

needs (SEN) register.

In BCUHB, child development information, in the form of a checklist of

developmental progress, is handed over by the health visitor to the school

nurse at age four years. Procedures for the transfer of health records for

children leaving the LHB area are well established. This is normally in the

form of paper records as not all LHBs in Wales have compatible electronic

recording systems.

Senior LHB managers report that information gathered is analysed and then

utilised for operational or strategic planning purposes in a variety of ways

including to:

• monitor health outcomes for children across the LHB area

• improve upon any general areas of deficit identified, e.g. encouraging

outdoor play to improve gross motor development

• provide standard comparators across the LHB area

• inform future service planning, e.g. to ensure the right mix of

professionals to meet the needs of all children

• enable comparisons to be made between the different cohorts

• demonstrate the impact of specific interventions

• show compliance with national programme requirements, e.g. Flying

Start

38


• meet national public health targets, e.g. immunisation

• produce statistical reports for the Welsh Government.

In Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board data is collated as part

of the care programme review, as specified by NICE guidelines, which has

been in place for three years. As part of its monitoring processes, Powys LHB

is exploring currently ways of profiling the universal contacts health visitors

have with children aged 0 to 5 years to record information such as how many

children have had their six week, eight month, two year and school entry

health reviews and how many children were recorded as having

developmental delays.

Health visitors report that, typically, they use the developmental assessment

information they gather on children in order:

• to make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and

language therapy, paediatrics (94 per cent of respondees)

• to make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education

Psychologist (48 per cent of respondees)

• for LHB strategic planning (12 per cent of respondees)

• for local authority strategic education planning (7 per cent of

respondees)

Other reasons stated included:

• to evaluate the effectiveness of Flying Start services (13 per cent of

respondees)

• for child protection and safeguarding purposes/to inform Social

Services (6 per cent of respondees)

• to provide data to assess child and maternal health and so inform

health promotion/public health work.

Childcare practitioners report that, typically, they use the developmental

assessment information they gather on children to:

• make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education


39


• make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and language

therapy, developmental paediatrics (43 per cent of respondees).

Other reasons stated included:

• to ease transition into the Foundation Phase setting (13 per cent of

respondees)

• for child protection and safeguarding purposes/to inform Social

Services (5 per cent of respondees)

• to evaluate the performance of Flying Start settings.

Education practitioners report that typically, they use the developmental

assessment information they gather on children:

• to make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education


• to make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and language

therapy, developmental paediatrics (69 per cent of respondees)

• for LA strategic planning (35 per cent of respondees)

• to identify CPD training needs (26 per cent of respondees)

Approximately 11 per cent of practitioners in school settings did not know how

the developmental assessment information they gathered is used beyond their

setting.

Perceptions

To gauge their perceptions of child development assessment, practitioners

were given options in which they chose a point between two extreme positions

to represent their views. They provided the following responses when asked

to identify the extent to which, in their opinion, child development assessment

is:

40


Essential 1 2 3 4

Unnecessary 5

Childcare practitioners 75% 18% 5% 1% 1%

Education practitioners 75% 18% 6% 1% 0%

Health visitors

73% 22% 4% 1% 0%

Helpful

1 2 3 4 Hindering

2

Childcare practitioners 71% 17% 8% 3% 1%


Health visitors

78% 15% 6% 1% 0%

Diagnostic

1 2 3 4 Labelling

5 Childcare practitioners 49% 26% 17% 5% 3%


Health visitors 30% 38% 29% 3% 0%

The results are very consistent across health, childcare and education

sectors, with the overwhelming majority of practitioners agreeing that child

development assessment, carried out rigorously, is both essential and helpful.

41


6. Summary of key findings The evidence generated during the review indicates that there is no consistent

approach to child development assessment across Wales at the present time.

Very few assessment tools are used on a universal basis with all children.

Each LHB and each health profession uses its own preferred assessment

tool(s). Similarly, with the exception of Flying Start settings, childcare

practitioners are using a wide range of assessment tools, either commercial or

those developed locally or in-house. With the withdrawal of the requirement to

use the CDAP for on-entry baseline assessment, schools are reverting to

using previous approved on-entry baseline assessment schemes or are

increasingly relying on commercial assessment tools which generate reliable

and standardised data. Consequently the current mixed economy approach to

child development assessment makes it impossible to:

• ensure that all professionals working with a child have access to the

same information

• track children’s progress within and across the local authority and LHB

boundaries

• collect meaningful local, regional or national comparative data.

Perceptions are that the quality of assessment practice in childcare and

school settings has improved, particularly child observation skills, resulting in

more reliable judgements. However, Estyn report that in almost half of the

schools inspected some aspects of assessment are weak. Foundation Phase

training and support officers also report that planning and assessment are the

two main areas in which practitioners need ongoing support.

The lack of a consistent approach results in a fragmented system where

families can be asked the same child development assessment related

questions repeatedly by different professionals involved with their child.

Similarly practitioners who move from one setting, school, authority or LHB to

another are often required to master a different approach to development

assessment in their new role, although the needs of the children with which

they work remain broadly the same.

42


Health visitors recognise the importance of child development assessment

and see it as central to their role. However, they feel it is crucial to consider

child development assessment as one element of a broader assessment of

the whole family, looking at such factors as the home environment,

attachment, bonding and social interaction. Concerns were also raised about

the current excessive case loads of generic health visitors and their capacity

to take on additional child development assessment commitments. Ongoing

training needs were also stressed.

From the perspective of the All Wales Flying Start managers, they would not

like to see the demise or disuse of the SoGS II assessment tool, an

assessment recognised and used by health and childcare professionals. They

feel considerable investment has already gone into the use of this assessment

tool plus staff training in order to reach the current position. Also a significant

amount of data showing the trends in improvement in children’s

developmental milestones (for individuals and whole populations) has been

collected. They argue strongly that there is a case to maintain the use of

SoGS II assessments and for any new Early Years assessment tool to build

on current practice.

It was also strongly felt by practitioners from health, childcare and education

sectors that there was a need for the Welsh Government to provide direction

and guidance for practitioners in order to achieve a more consistent and

coherent approach to observing, assessing, recording and reporting children’s

developmental progress in Early Years settings. School leaders would

welcome an assessment tool that allows electronic recording of information

which integrates with the school’s information management system. Such an

approach would facilitate the generation of quality evidence for school self-

evaluation and for strategic school improvement and development planning,

e.g. using the child development assessment information more strategically to

identify patterns over time and plan targeted interventions.

43


Concerns were expressed about the cost effectiveness of approaches

adopted during the development and implementation of the Foundation Phase

CDAP. The quality of training and clarity of key messages for key

stakeholders was also questioned by some practitioners. Views were

expressed that practitioners need to be fully involved in the development of a

new Early Years assessment tool to reflect sector leading practice. Also the

need for rigorous piloting of any new tool with regular opportunities for

practitioners to feedback before it is rolled out nationally was stressed.

Serious concerns were raised by some Foundation Phase practitioners about

the potential implications of the introduction of the National Literacy and

Numeracy Framework. In particular, the statutory annual requirement from

September 2013 to assess, record and report children’s progress by age not

developmental stage. It was felt that summative assessment can lead to

comparing and ranking individual children at a very young age relative to what

is deemed ‘normal’. It was suggested that this focus on age-related norms

may skew Foundation Phase practice, with a perceived reduction in emphasis

on the rounded development of the whole child.

There is such a drive on literacy and numeracy that the other areas of learning are not being given so much weight.

When asked ‘What are the key features you would look for in any child

development assessment tool?’ practitioners identified a wide range of

features. The most commonly reported features are listed below.

• Clarity of purpose.

• Standardised and evidence-base.

• A reliable, objective assessment that provides a comprehensive profile

of each child’s development.

• Easily understood and applied by practitioners from all settings and

professions in a consistently robust way which is not open to

interpretation.

• Manageability; a tool that is relatively easy to use and which does not

require the deferment of normal routines.

44


45

• Encompasses all areas of child development, focusing on the whole

child while containing a diagnostic element.

• Demonstrates clear progression within the developmental steps

identified and continuity with Foundation Phase Areas of Learning and

end of phase outcomes.

• Takes account of the child’s behaviours and responses in different

environments.

• Provides unambiguous information for planning the next steps for each

child.

• Facilitates the reporting of assessment outcomes to parents/carers in a

way which is easily understood.

• Generates valid data for tracking a child’s progress and which enables

accurate comparisons to be made between individuals and different

cohorts.

• Provides evidence for self-evaluation and can be used as a reliable

measure of value added.

• Enables assessment information to be recorded, collated, analysed

and shared electronically with ease.

• Enables comparison of data locally, regionally and nationally.

• Free/low cost to administer.

The consensus of views given was that, to support practitioners across

professions and sectors, implementation of a new Early Years assessment

tool must be underpinned with a high-quality, consistent, sustainable national

training programme. Also, there will be an ongoing need for moderation

training nationally to secure reliable judgements whatever assessment tool is

used.

Appendix 1: Fieldwork materials – topic guide for one-to-one interviews with strategic stakeholders Introduction Markit Training and Consultancy Ltd. has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to carry out research to identify the full range of Early Years assessment tools currently being used in Wales to assess children from birth to the end of the Foundation Phase (0 to 7 years of age). Pre-interview

• I am part of the research team that has been commissioned by Welsh Government to undertake a review of Early Years child development assessment tools (0 to 7 years).

• Our focus is on current practice in assessment of child development (0 to 7 years) in education, health and childcare settings.

• Additionally we will be identifying the range of assessment information collected, how it is gathered, how it is being used, shared and disseminated.

• We are interviewing key individuals drawn from a range of organisations/settings, including you as a representative of (refer to contact’s organisation/role).

• Any comments you provide may be included in the final report to the Welsh Government but will not be attributed to any individuals or organisations.

• The interview is likely to take about 30–45 minutes. • Can I interview you now or arrange a time to call back? • Are you happy for me to record your responses? • Are there any questions that you would like to ask me before we start?


Brief description of the interviewee:

Name: __________________________________________________________

Organisation: __________________________________________________________

Contact details __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Role: __________________________________________________________

Responsibilities: __________________________________________________________

(e.g. line management) __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Date of interview: __________________________________________________________

47


We are interested primarily in those assessment tools which are used on a universal basis with all children. (e.g. the Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment Profile (CDAP), Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS), Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II)) To find out this information, we would like you to answer the following questions. 1. Does your organisation require the use of a specific child development assessment tool?

YES/NO (If yes go to Question 1.1. If no go to Question 1.8.)

Birth to the age of 3 Age 3 to 5 Age 5 to 7

1.1 Which child development assessment tool(s) is currently being used? (for each age range if appropriate)

48


1.2 Why is this tool required? (benefits, practicalities, meet the requirements of registration/membership; meet National Minimum standards; requirements of national programmes)

1.3 For what purpose(s) is this tool being used? (What assessment information is being gathered? Which specific aspects of child development are assessed? Links with FP Areas of Learning?)

1.4 Who uses this tool to deliver the assessment? (Health visitor, other health professional, childcare worker, FP practitioner/teacher, other?)

49


1.5 At which specific age(s) is the tool used? (e.g. six month review, 12 month review, etc.)

1.6 In which setting(s) is the tool used? (At home, health clinic, childcare setting, nursery, school, etc.)

1.7 What, if any, are the limitations and constraints of the assessment tool(s) that you require/recommend? (Go to Question 2)

50


1.8 Why doesn’t your organisation require/recommend the use of a specific child development assessment tool?

1.9 Do you have any plans to

recommend the use of a child

development assessment tool in

the future?

(If Yes – which tool?)

1.10 Why might you consider

recommending the use of a child

development assessment tool in

the future?

51


1.11 What are the key features

you would look for in any child

development assessment tool

considered?

2. Does your organisation collect, collate and use assessment information gathered from the use of your required

child development assessment tool?

YES/NO (If yes go to Question 2.1. If no go to Question 3.)

Birth to the age of 3 Age 3 to 5 Age 5 to 7

2.1 Describe how the assessment information gathered is recorded? (Using what methods; paper, electronically?)

2.2 Describe how the information gathered during the assessment process is stored? (What software/programme is used?)

52


2.3 With whom is the information shared, if at all? (Colleagues, parents/carers, health professionals, etc.)

2.4 How is the information shared, if at all, with other professionals involved with the child, their parents/carers?

2.5 What method is then used for the onward reporting of the information gathered about each child? (paper, electronic)

2.6 If information is gathered that indicates further tests are required how is this communicated to other professionals?

53


54

2.7 Is this information then collated centrally? If yes – how does this happen? If not – what happens to it?

2.8 How, if at all, is the information gathered from the range of assessments analysed and then utilised for operational or strategic planning purposes?

3. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about child development assessment/assessment tools that you feel could help further develop current practice?

Post interview

Thank you for your time

Appendix 2: Fieldwork materials – online questionnaire for health visitors Review of Early Years child assessment tools used in Wales Markit Training and Consultancy Ltd. has been commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Welsh Government to carry out a review of the development assessment tools currently being used for the Early Years (0 to 7 years) across health, educational and childcare settings in Wales. We are interested in those development assessment tools which you use with all children. To help find out this information, we would like to invite you to complete the following questions. Any comments you provide may be included in the final report but will not be attributed to any individuals or organisations. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. Name of your Local Health Board:

………………………………………..………… 2. Please select the answer below which best describes your role:

• Generic health visitor • Flying Start health visitor • Other, please specify …………………………………..

3. What age range of children do you work with?

4. How would you describe the assessment tool(s) you are currently using to

complement your ongoing surveillance of child development? Please select any answers which apply.

• A tool developed by your Local Health Board. • An assessment tool specified by the Welsh Government, e.g.

Schedule of Growing Skills II assessments (SoGS). • A commercial assessment tool, e.g. Denver Developmental Screening

Test II (DDST-II). • Other; please specify ……………


5. If you use more than one assessment tool, please indicate which tool is used at which age.

Age range Tool(s) used Specific age

assessed

0 to 1-year-olds

1 to 2-year-olds

2 to 3-year-olds

3 to 4-year-olds

4 to 5-year-olds

6. For what purpose(s) is this assessment tool(s) being used? Please select any

answers which apply.

• To identify his/her strengths and any developmental needs. • To monitor development/progress. • To inform parents/carers of children’s development. • To inform other health professionals of the developmental needs of

individual children. • To inform other agencies of the developmental needs of individual

children. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

7. How is the assessment tool being used?

• Child observation across a range of contexts and over a period of time. • One-to-one session with the child. • Other; please specify ……………

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8. In which setting(s) do you use the assessment tool(s)?

• At the child’s home. • At a health setting, e.g. clinic. • At a childcare setting. • At a nursery. • Other; please specify …………….

9. How helpful is the assessment tool(s) to identify a child’s developmental

needs?

• Very helpful. • Quite helpful. • Not helpful.

10. What are the most useful features of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 11. What, if any, are the main limitations of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 12. How is the developmental assessment information you gather on children

recorded?

• On paper, e.g. field notes and observations. • On paper using a standardised recording form. • Computer-based, e.g. an electronic profile. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

13. With whom is the developmental assessment information you gather on

children being shared?

• Parents/carers. • The Local Health Board. • Other health professionals. • Other practitioners, e.g. Flying Start coordinators. • Other Early Years education practitioners. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

14. Do other settings and agencies share their child development assessment

information with you?

• Yes – always • Yes – sometimes • No

57


15. For what purpose(s) is the developmental assessment information you gather

on children being used?

• To make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education Psychologist.

• To make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and language therapy, paediatrics.

• For LHB strategic planning. • For LA strategic education planning. • Other; please specify ………………………..

16. For the following three questions, please indicate on a scale of 1–5, the

extent to which, in your opinion, child development assessment is: Essential Unnecessary

1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________

17. Helpful Hindering

1 2 3 4 5

____________________________________________________

18. Diagnostic Labelling

1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________

19. Please add any other comments about the use of child development

assessment tools that you feel could help improve current practice. Thank you for completing this e-survey.

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Appendix 3: Online questionnaire for childcare practitioners Review of Early Years child assessment tools used in Wales

Markit Training and Consultancy Ltd. has been commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Welsh Government to carry out a review of the development assessment tools currently being used for the Early Years (0 to 7 years) across health, educational and childcare settings in Wales. We are interested in those assessment tools which are used with all children in your setting. To help find out this information, we would like to invite you to complete the following questions. Any comments you provide may be included in the final report but will not be attributed to any individuals or organisations. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. Name of your setting: ………………………………………..…………………. 2. Please select the answer below which best describes your setting:

• A private day nursery • Cylch Meithrin • Pre-school playgroup • Childminder • Flying Start playgroup • An Integrated Children’s centre • Other; please specify …………………………………..

3. What age range of children do you work with? 4. Which of the following services do you provide? Please select any answers

which apply.

• Full day care. • Sessional day care. • Foundation Phase Nursery provision for the local authority (e.g. part-

time education for children aged three and four). • Part-time provision for Flying Start. • Wrap-around care. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

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5. Please select the answer(s) below which best describes your role:

• Nursery owner/proprietor. • Nursery manager. • Nursery/Playgroup/Meithrin leader. • Play worker. • Childminder. • Childminder’s assistant. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

6. Are you a member of any of the following organisations?

• Mudiad Meithrin. • National Child Minders Association. • National Day Nursery Association. • Wales Pre-School Providers Association. • Other; please specify ……………

7. In your setting, is the Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment

Profile (CDAP) (Welsh Government, 2011) used for on-entry baseline assessment?

• Yes – in its entirety • No • Yes – partially; please explain ………………….

8. If you are not using the Foundation Phase CDAP in your setting, which

assessment tool are you currently using for on-entry baseline assessment?

• Materials developed in your setting. • An approved local authority assessment tool, i.e. a tool chosen by your

local authority. • An assessment tool recommended by your membership organisation. • An assessment tool recommended by an outside agency, e.g. Flying

Start. • A commercial assessment tool(s). • Other; please give details ……………


Profile (CDAP) (Welsh Government ,2011) used for ongoing assessment?


60


10. If you are not using the Foundation Phase CDAP in your setting, which

assessment tool are you currently using for ongoing assessment?

• Materials developed in your setting. • An approved local authority assessment tool, i.e. a tool chosen by your

local authority. • An assessment tool recommended by your membership organisation. • An approved commercial assessment tool(s). • Other; please give details ……………

11. Please indicate which assessment tool is currently used with which age range

in your setting? Age range Tool(s) used 0 to 1-year-olds 1 to 2-year-olds 2 to 3-year-olds

3 to 4-year-olds

4 to 5-year-olds

12. For what purpose(s) is this assessment tool(s) being used? Select any


• To get to know the individual child. • To identify his/her strengths, interests and developmental needs. • To form an on-entry baseline assessment. • To monitor development/progress. • To compare the particular strengths and needs for the group as a

whole. • To inform children of their achievements and next steps for their

learning and development • To inform colleagues of children’s achievements and next steps for

their learning and development.

61


• To inform parents/carers of children’s achievements and next steps for their learning and development.

• To inform other practitioners, e.g. health professionals of the developmental needs of individual children.

• To inform transition throughout the Foundation Phase. • To meet the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Child Care

(Welsh Government, March 2012). • To meet the quality standards expected by your membership

organisation. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

13. If you have children aged 3 to 5 years, does your chosen tool(s) assess the child’s achievement in each of the seven Foundation Phase Areas of Learning?

• Yes • No (if not, please explain ……..)

14. Who administers the on-entry baseline assessment?

• Nursery manager • Nursery leader • Child key worker • Play worker • Childminder • Childminder’s assistant • Other; please specify ……………

15. How is the assessment tool being used?

• Child observation during continuous, enhanced and focused provision

across a range of activities and over a period of time. • One-to-one session with the child. • At set times during specifically planned activities. • Other; please specify ………………………….

16. How helpful is the assessment tool(s) that you use in enabling you to identify

a child’s developmental needs at an early stage?


62


17. What are the most useful features of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 18. What, if any, are the limitations of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 19. How is the developmental assessment information you gather on children in

your setting recorded?

• On paper, e.g. practitioner’s field notes and observations. • On paper using a standardised recording form. • Computer-based, e.g. an electronic profile. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

20. With whom is developmental assessment information you gather on children

in your setting being shared?

• Other practitioners in the setting. • Parents/carers. • The local authority/education professionals. • Receiving schools. • Health professionals. • I do not know how the developmental assessment information I gather

is used beyond my setting. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

21. Do other settings and agencies share their child development assessment



22. For what purposes is the developmental assessment information you gather

on children being used beyond your setting?

• To make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education Psychologist.

• To make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and language therapy, developmental paediatrics.

• Other; please specify …………………………………………..

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23. For the following three questions, please indicate on a scale of 1–5, the extent to which, in your opinion, child development assessment is:

Essential Unnecessary

1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________


1 2 3 4 5

____________________________________________________


1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________



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Appendix 4: Online questionnaire for education practitioners Review of Early Years child assessment tools used in Wales Markit Training and Consultancy Ltd. has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to carry out research to identify the full range of Early Years assessment tools currently being used in Wales to assess individual children from birth to the end of the Foundation Phase. We are interested primarily in those assessment tools which are used on a universal basis with all children in your setting. To help find out this information, we would like you to answer the following questions. Any comments you provide may be included in the final report but will not be attributed to any individuals or organisations. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. Name of your school: ………………………………………..…………………. 2. Please select the answer below which best describes your setting:

• A maintained nursery • An infants school • A primary school with an attached nursery • A primary school without an attached nursery • Other, please specify …………………………………..

3. Please select the answer(s) below which best describes your role:

• Headteacher • Senior leader • Assessment coordinator • Classroom practitioner • Other; please specify …………………………………..


Profile (CDAP) (Welsh Government, 2011) used for on-entry baseline assessment?


65


5. If you are not using the Foundation Phase CDAP in your setting, which assessment tool are you currently using for on-entry baseline assessment?

• Materials developed in school. • An approved local authority assessment tool, i.e. a tool chosen by your

local authority. • An approved commercial assessment tool(s); please specify

…………… • Other; please specify ……………


Profile (CDAP) (Welsh Government, 2011) used for ongoing assessment?


7. If you are not using the Foundation phase CDAP in your setting, which

assessment tool are you currently using for ongoing assessment?

• Materials developed in school. • An approved local authority assessment tool, i.e. a tool chosen by your

local authority. • An approved commercial assessment tool(s). • Other; please specify ……………

8. If more than one assessment tool is used in your setting, please indicate

which tool is used at which age? Age range Tool used

3 to 4-year-olds

4 to 5-year-olds

5 to 6-year-olds 6 to 7-year-olds

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9. Does your chosen tool(s) assess the child’s achievement in each of the seven Foundation Phase Areas of Learning?

• Yes • No (if not, please explain ……..)

10. Who administers the on-entry baseline assessment?

• Class teacher. • Teaching assistant. • Higher level teaching assistant. • Assessment coordinator. • Other; please specify ……………

11. Who administers the ongoing assessment?

• Class teacher. • Teaching assistant. • Higher level teaching assistant. • Assessment coordinator. • Other; please specify ……………

12. For what purpose(s) is this assessment tool(s) being used? Please select any


• To get to know the individual child. • To identify his/her strengths, interests and developmental needs. • To form an on-entry baseline assessment. • To monitor development/progress. • To compare the particular strengths and needs for the group as a

whole. • To inform children of their achievements and next steps for their

learning and development. • To inform colleagues of children’s achievements and next steps for

their learning and development. • To inform parents/carers of children’s achievements and next steps for

their learning and development. • To inform other practitioners, e.g. health professionals of the

developmental needs of individual children. • To inform transition throughout the Foundation Phase. • To inform transition between the Foundation Phase and key stage • Other, please specify …………………………………..

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13. How helpful is the assessment tool(s) that you use in helping you to identify a child’s developmental needs at an early stage?


14. What are the most useful features of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 15. What, if any, are the limitations of the assessment tool(s) that you use? 16. How is the assessment tool being used?

• Child observation during continuous, enhanced and focused provision

across a range of contexts and over a period of time. • One to one session with the child. • At set times during specifically planned activities. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

17. How is the developmental assessment information you gather on children in

your setting being recorded?

• On paper, e.g. teacher’s field notes and observations. • On paper using a standardised recording form. • Computer-based, e.g. an electronic profile. • Other’ please specify …………………………………..

18. With whom is developmental assessment information you gather on children

in your setting being shared?

• Other practitioners in school. • Parents/carers. • The local authority. • Health professionals. • Other; please specify …………………………………..

19. For what purposes is the developmental assessment information you gather

on children being used beyond your setting?

• For local authority strategic planning. • To make a formal referral to educational services, e.g. Education

Psychologist. • To make a formal referral to health services, e.g. speech and language

therapy, developmental paediatrics. • To identify continuous professional development (CPD) training needs. • I do not know how the developmental assessment information I gather

is used beyond my setting. 68


69

• Other; please specify ……………………………. 20. Do other settings and agencies share their child development assessment



21. For the following three questions, please indicate on a scale of 1–5, the

extent to which, in your opinion, child development assessment (0 to 7 years) is:

Essential Unnecessary

1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________


1 2 3 4 5

____________________________________________________


1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________

24. Please indicate on a scale of 1–5, the extent to which, in your opinion, that

on-entry baseline assessment should align with the end of Foundation Phase statutory assessment requirements.

Essential Unnecessary 1 2 3 4 5 ____________________________________________________



Appendix 5: Sample for one-to-one telephone interviews

Interviewee Organisation represented

Chair of AWFPA All Wales Foundation Phase Advisors

System leader with responsibility for the Foundation Phase Central South Consortium Joint Education Service (CSCJES)

Head of Service 0–8; Lifelong Learning Department Wrexham CBC; representing north Wales

Early Years and Foundation Phase Advisor, Pembrokeshire CBC South West and Mid Wales Education Consortium

System leader with responsibility for the Foundation Phase Team South East Wales Education Achievement Service

Head of Health Visiting Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board

Head of Public Health Nursing Aneurin Bevan Health Board

Associate Chief of Staff (Nursing) Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

Head of Nursing for children and special public community health nursing Cardiff and Vale Health Board

Practice Development Health Visitor and Senior Nurse Flying Start (both nominated by LHB lead) Cwm Taf Health Board

Flying Start Case Work Manager, Carmarthenshire County Council (nominated by LHB lead) Hywel Dda Health Board

Head of Public Health and Community Paediatric Nursing

Powys Local Health Board


Interviewee Organisation represented

Foundation Phase HMI Estyn

South East Wales/Early Years senior inspector Care and Social Service Inspectorate Wales

Director of Learning and Development Care Council of Wales

Development Officer (Early Years) Children in Wales

Director of Training Mudiad Meithrin

Senior Manager (Wales) NCMA Cymru

Foundation Phase Development Officer National Day Nursery Association

Chief Executive Officer Early Years Project Coordinator Childcare Coordinator (Flying Start)

Wales Pre-School Providers Association (WPPA)

Chair, Flying Start Manager, Cardiff CBC All Wales Flying Start Managers Network

Flying Start Manager Bridgend CBC

Flying Start Coordinator Newport City Council

Flying Start Coordinator Merthyr Tydfil CBC

Flying Start Coordinator Gwynedd CBC

Flying Start Advisory Teacher Neath Port Talbot CBC

Flying Start Advisory Teacher Ceredigion CBC

Flying Start Advisory Teacher Flintshire CBC

71


Interviewee Organisation Represented All Wales Foundation Phase Training and Support Officers Group

Chair

Foundation Phase Training and Support Officer Cardiff Council

Seconded Headteacher, Assessment Branch, DfES Ysgol Crug Glas, Special School, Swansea

School Improvement Officer and Powys County Borough Council Early Years Development Officer

Lead Officer Foundation Phase, Flying Start and Childcare Conwy County Borough Council

Early Years Officer Caerphilly County Borough Council

72


Appendix 6: Sample for childcare online questionnaire

Type of setting Local authority Nurseries (NDNA) Andi Pandi's Nursery Carmarthenshire

Stepping Stones Flintshire

Rainbows Private Nursery Newport

Acorns Nurseries Cardiff Mudiad Meithrin (MM) Y Bontfaen Vale

Pencoed Bridgend

Caban Cegin Gwynedd

Glan y Mor Ceredigion Wales Pre-School Providers Association (WPPA) Little Learners Playgroup Caerphilly

Pontymoile Under 5's Penygarn Torfaen

Peter Pan Playgroup Pembrokeshire

Rhosneigr Pre-school Playgroup Anglesey Childminders (NCMA)

- Wrexham - Powys - Merthyr Tydfil - Cardiff

Total sample = 16 settings from 15 local authorities

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Appendix 7: Sample for education online questionnaire Nursery school Language Local authority

Pontycymer Nursery School English Bridgend Grangetown Nursery School English Cardiff Ammanford Nursery Bilingual Carmarthen The Croft Nursery School English Flint Treharris Nursery School English Merthyr Don Close Nursery School English Newport Brynteg Nursery English Torfaen Bute Cottage Nursery English Vale of Glamorgan Sample = 8 schools/LAs Integrated Children's Centres Language Local authority Heart of the Valleys Integrated Children's Centre English Blaenau Gwent New Tredegar Integrated Children’s Centre English Caerphilly Yr Eos Integrated Children's Campus Bilingual Ceredigion Canolfan Integedig Bilingual Conwy Oaktree Centre Bilingual Denbighshire Plas Pawb Welsh Gwynedd Acorns Centre English Monmouth Resolven ICC English NPT Y Frenni Children's Centre Welsh Pembrokeshire Radnorshire ICC English Powys Ynyscynon Early Years Centre English RCT Swansea Integrated Children’s Centre English Swansea Wrexham Early Years Centre English Wrexham Canolfan Blant Llangefni Welsh Ynys Môn

Sample = 14 centres/LAs

74


Infant schools Language Local authority Llanfabon Infants School English Caerphilly Ysgol Babanod Llanfairfechan Bilingual Conwy Ysgol y Parc English Denbigh Ysgol Abercaseg (Babanod) Welsh Gwynedd St Joseph's Catholic Infant School English NPT Mount Airey Community Primary (Infants) School English Pembrokeshire Mount Street Infants and Nursery School English Powys Brynhyfryd Infant School English Swansea Sample = 8 schools/LAs Primary schools Language Local authority Beaufort Hill Primary English Blaenau Gwent Ogmore Vale Primary School English Bridgend Oakfield Primary English Cardiff Trimsaran Community Primary School Bilingual Carmarthen Ysgol-Y-Dderi Primary Welsh Ceredigion Ysgol Bryn Coch English Flintshire Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Santes Tudful Welsh Merthyr Cross Ash Primary School English Monmouth Langstone Primary English Newport Caegarw Primary School English RCT Penygarn Community Primary English Torfaen Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg Welsh Vale of Glamorgan St Giles VC Church in Wales Primary English Wrexham Ysgol Gymuned Pentraeth Welsh Ynys Môn

Sample = 14 schools/14 LAs Total sample = 44 settings

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Appendix 8: Overview of the main Early Years assessment tools identified as being used currently in Wales

Birth to three matters Age

range Purpose Administration Scoring

Birth to three years

Launched in November 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills, Birth to three matters is a framework to support those practitioners working with very young babies and children.

It provides information on child development, effective practice, examples of activities which promote play and learning, guidance on planning and resourcing, and ways to meet diverse needs. Four aspects of child development are identified as:

• a strong child • a skilful communicator • a competent learner • a healthy child.

Key worker

Taking the child as the focus, each aspect is divided into four components which in turn have four specific criteria against which judgements can be made. Paper

Four age-related stages of development are also described which enable practitioners to identify relevant characteristics of children in their setting. • Heads up, lookers and

Ccmmunicators (0–8 months). • Sitters, standers and explorers

(8–18 months). • Movers, shakers and players

(18– 24 months). • Walkers, talkers and pretenders

(24–36 months).

Available from:

www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/Birth

76


British Picture Vocabulary Scale: 3rd Edition – BPVS III Age


3–16 years

BPVS3 assesses children’s receptive (hearing) vocabulary. The teacher says a word and the child responds by selecting the picture (from four options) that best illustrates the word’s meaning.

The questions sample words that represent a range of content areas such as actions, animals, toys and emotions and parts of speech such as nouns, verbs or attributes, across all levels of difficulty.

Teachers, SENCOs and speech therapists in mainstream and special education settings

As no reading is required, BPVS3 can be used to assess language development in non-readers and especially children with expressive language impairments.

As no spoken response is required, BPVS3 may be administered to children with autism and other related communication difficulties.

Individual

Timing: Untimed, approx. 10 minutes.

Format: Paper

Available from:

www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/british-picture-vocabulary-scale-third-editionwww.winslow-cat.com/british-picture-vocabulary-scale-3rd-edition-bpvs-iii.html

77

http://www.winslow-cat.com/british-picture-vocabulary-scale-3rd-edition-bpvs-iii.html


Bury Infant Check

Age range Purpose Administration Scoring

4.1–5.6 years

Assesses children in reception classes who have special needs and may need intervention.

Key areas include: language; learning style; memory; number; perceptual and motor skills.

A quick test can be used on a whole class to identify children who will need to take the full check which identifies areas that need special attention.

Individual Comprises sixty assessment items, only thirteen of which are teacher-rated.

Untimed

Available from:

Pearson & Quinn, NFER-Nelson, 1986. www.etcconsult.com/schools/302-early-years-bury-infant-check-age-41-56-

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Classroom Monitor


Birth–60 months 5 to 11 years

Classroom Monitor is an online assessment, tracking, and report-writing system.

Closely aligned to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

Comes pre-loaded with criteria for every subject from the National Curriculum, P-Scales and ’Assessing Pupils’ Progress’ (APP) materials which offer schools a set of criteria, guidance and exemplars for making judgements about learners’ progress in relation to national curriculum levels.

Electronic Classroom Monitor links automatically to the school’s Management Information System /database (SIMs/ Facility, etc.). Teachers record their learners’ progress against learning objectives.

Uses an online mark book with a traffic light system to support early intervention.

Supports school self evaluation and report-writing.

Available from:

www.classroommonitor.co.uk

79

http://www.classroommonitor.co.uk/


Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II)


2 weeks–6 years

The Denver Screening Test (DDST) provides a method of screening for evidence of development delay in infants and preschool children. The test screens a child’s development in four functions/domains:

• gross motor • language skills • fine motor-adaptive • personal-social.

The health visitor questions the parents and observes the child attempting developmental age range tasks. Completed at home or in a clinic.

Each child is scored within a range of norms, enabling the user to obtain an overview of the child's development and to identify relative areas of strength and weakness.

The result is a surveillance and developmental measuring method, similar to a growth chart, which allows further investigation of any areas of concern.

A guidance sheet is followed and the results recorded on a standard chart.

An online test similar to the paper version is also available.

Time: 10–20 minutes

Available from:

www.denverii.com

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http://www.denverii.com/


Developmental Journals (Children in Wales)


0–5 years NB: There are no ages attached to the Developmental Steps.

Primarily for children with additional learning needs/complex medical needs, the Developmental Journals focus on what the child can do, building a positive record of each child's achievement over time.

Typical patterns of child development are described under seven ‘Areas of Learning’ (the same as those used in the Foundation Phase). Each journal has a series of 14 Developmental Steps. Skills and behaviours associated with each Step are identified under the seven Areas of Learning.

Each behaviour or skill has three boxes headed ‘Emerging’ (seen for the first time), ‘Developing’ (seen sometimes) and ‘Achieved’ (seen often). When the parent has decided which of these most closely describes their child’s behaviour, they simply put a date and/or a tick in the appropriate box.

Designed to be used by and with families, the journals support partnership working between families and practitioners by providing a structured framework for discussion.

There are four sets of developmental materials. Developmental journal (the generic version) is designed for families who know or suspect that their child is unlikely to progress in the same way or at the same rate as other children – whether or not a particular factor or

The final element of the Developmental journal is the Developmental Profile. Its aim is to help parents see the pattern of their child’s progress as they move through Developmental Steps.

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learning difficulty has been identified and given a name.

The remaining three sets focus on celebrating the development of children with specific additional needs:

Developmental journal for deaf babies and children – designed for families with a young deaf child. A particular focus on emerging communication and language.

Developmental journal for babies and children with Down syndrome – designed to support early intervention by improving understanding of the developmental processes involved when a child has Down syndrome.

Developmental journal for babies and children with visual impairment – designed for families with a young child who has a visual impairment.

Available from:

www.earlysupportwales.org.uk/

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Effective Early Learning (EEL) Programme/Child Involvement Scale


0–3 years (BEEL) and 4–7 (EEL)

The Effective Early Learning (EEL) Project and Baby Effective Early Learning (BEEL) are professional development tools of supported self-evaluation and improvement for all settings that provide early education and care for young children. Nine child involvement signals are identified as:

• concentration • energy • complexity and creativity • facial expression and posture • persistence • precision • reaction time • language • satisfaction.

This is an observation method which aims to measure the level of a child’s involvement in an activity. It is child focused and attempts to measure the process of learning, rather than concentrating on outcomes.

The signals are not designed to be used on a scale basis. They are a means of making an overall judgement of the child’s involvement using the 5 point scale. Each observation is recorded on a Child Involvement Observation Sheet.

The 5 point scale which measures involvement (see The Leuven Well-being and Involvement scales) is then used to come to an overall judgement.

Individual children are observed. Each observation to last two minutes. Each child is observed three times per session but not continuously. A total of six observations/twelve minutes per child.

Available from:

Professor Chris Pascal, Worcester University www.crec.co.uk/EEL

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First STEp: Screening Test for Evaluating Preschoolers


Level 1: 2.9 – 3.8 years

Level 2: 3.9 – 4.8 years

An assessment tool to detect mild developmental delays and identify children who need in-depth diagnostic testing.

Childcare worker Individual Timing:15 minutes

Focus on: cognition, communication and motor skills

Scaled scores are stratified by age for five Domains.

Available from:

www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8182-707&Mode=summary

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Health for All Children (Hall 4) Age


All children

Health for All Children (Hall 4) sets out principles for preventive health care, health promotion and an effective community-based response to the needs of families, children and young people. It reflects the current evidence base that every child and parent should have access to a universal or core programme of preventive preschool care.

Formal, universal screening for speech and language delay, global developmental delay, autism, and post-natal depression is not recommended. Health professionals should elicit and respond to parental concerns.

Health professionals discuss with parents and take on board any concerns they may have, responding as appropriate.

Health professionals follow the guidelines set out in Hall 4 when carrying out ongoing surveillance of the general health and development of the child.

Available from:

Health for All Children (Hall 4) by Hall and Elliman, published December 2002

www.health-for-allchildren.co.uk

Information on the National Screening Committee’s policy position on child health screening is available at: www.nelh.nhs.uk/screening/vbls.html

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Incerts Assessment System


3–7 years Allows teachers in Wales to record assessments against the Foundation Phase Outcomes. The Outcome Descriptors have been arranged into skill ladders. Each curriculum statement is presented as sub-levels (e.g. 2a, 2b or 2c) with three developmental steps: • beginning to demonstrate the

particular behaviour • does it reasonably frequently • fully grasped it.

Demonstrates how learners progress from one sub-level to the next.

Used for recording assessments of learners, and sometimes supporting evidence. By clicking on a sub-level tickbox, the teacher is stating that through their expertise and professional judgement, they have determined that the learner is able to display the skill described in the statement. Dependant on the quality and consistency of assessment judgements that are entered into the system.

Incerts calculates a learner’s level based on the ticks entered.

The system generates a range of graphs and reports, in each case combining stored data with a pre-designed template. Levels and numeric scores are usually combined and a spreadsheet is generated; statements or sentences may be combined so that a Word document is generated for end or year reports, next step reports, etc.

The analysis function enables users to look at learners’ progress, displayed as a graph, over time and progress towards a current target. Users can compare classes and groups, and progress from year to year.

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Available from:

Incerts is an independent, non-profit organisation www.incerts.org/wiki?page=overviewAlso a password protected CDAP site cdap.incerts.org

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The Leuven Well-being and Involvement Scales


Developed by the Research Centre for Experiential Education (Leuven University – Belgium) under the supervision of Dr. Ferre Laevers.

Key worker observes the children individually or as a group for about two minutes.

Five point scales which measure both well-being and involvement. Unless children are operating at four or five, learning will be limited. If there is a consistent low level of well-being and/or involvement, it is likely a child’s development will be limited.

The tool focuses on two central indicators of quality early years provision:

• children’s well-being • children’s involvement.

Available from:

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Mary Sheridan; Children's Developmental Progress from Birth to Five Years; the Stycar Sequences


Birth–5 years

The STYCAR sequences, developed by M. D. Sheridan (1976), measure four fields of development:

• posture and large movements

• vision and fine movements

• hearing and speech

• behavior and play.

Each field of development is divided into several specialised skills.

Widely used as a reference for professionals training or working in health and social care.

A table of expected ‘norms’ within a specific age range describing key stages in the development of motor, perception, communication, play, independence and social skills.

Used as a guide on the expected normal range of children reaching their developmental milestones.

Results provide an informative record of a child's developmental progress.

Available from:

Book: Sheridan, Mary D. From Birth to 5 years; Children’s Developmental Progress. Revised and updated by Marian Frost and Dr Ajay Sharma. (Rutledge 2003)

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Modified-Checklist for Autism (M-CHAT) Age


18–30 months

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is a validated developmental screening tool designed to identify children at increased risk of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

A questionnaire with 23 questions. Used by specialists or other professionals to screen for developmental delay ASD and autism. 5 minutes

The M-CHAT can be administered and scored as part of a well-child check-up.

The M-CHAT structured follow up interview with the parent is designed to reduce the false positive rate (false positive cases are children who fail the M-CHAT but do not have an autism spectrum disorder).

Available from: www.m-chat.org/

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National Child Assessment Framework Age


All children (and their families)

A framework for the assessment of children in need and their families.

Health visitors Some LHBs in Wales have devised their own assessment tool/checklist based on the ‘triangle’ below.

A systematic approach which uses a conceptual map for gathering and analysing information about all children and their families.

Home assessment

Discriminates between different types and levels of need.

Available from:

www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm

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Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) Age


Newborns and infants up to two months old

The scale looks at a wide range of behaviours. The examiner has a behavioral ‘portrait’ of the infant, describing the baby's strengths, adaptive responses and possible vulnerabilities. The examiner shares this portrait with parents to develop appropriate care giving strategies aimed at enhancing the earliest relationship between babies and parents.

Health professional Used in mother and baby units and with the Integrated Family Support service. Timing: 20–30 minutes

28 behavioural items each scored on a 9-point scale, which assess the infant's behavioural response to positive and negative stimuli. Does not yield a single score but instead assesses the baby's capabilities across different developmental areas.

The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO)


Newborns and infants up to three months old

A structured set of observations designed to help the clinician and parent together, to observe the infant's behavioral capacities and identify the kind of support the infant needs for his successful growth and development.

Health professionals; paediatricians Recording form and parent questionnaire.

A set of 18 neurobehavioral observations, which describe the newborn's capacities and behavioural adaptation.

Available from:

www.brazelton.co.uk/training.html

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Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS)


3–4 years Performance Indicators in Primary Schools On-Entry Baseline is a standardised assessment system that is designed to monitor learners’ educational progress during the Reception year.

Provides assessment of attainment in the areas of reading, mathematics and phonological awareness. The assessment provides a basis for measuring the relative progress of pupils through Reception and beyond because they take into account the starting points of individual children.

PIPS On-Entry Baseline is carried out in the first month that the child is in Reception; September, January and at Easter. The Follow-Up assessment is carried out in June. Personal and social development is assessed through teacher ratings of key features.

The assessment is completed by an adult working with each child on a one-to-one basis.

Hand entered data is sent to the CEM data processing department and data from the CD-ROM version is uploaded to the CEM website or emailed back to PIPS.

On receipt, the school data are processed and printed feedback produced. Final reports include a standardised value added progress score and a record of personal and social development for each child.

Feedback is also made available on the CEM secure website along with other tools such as Foundation Profile mapping and data analysis software.

Comparison with national data also enables teachers to identify gifted and talented/ALN learners at an early stage.

Timing: 15–20 minutes

Available in either text, a coloured booklet that the adult and child work through together, or CD-ROM format.

The adult records the child's responses on a learner record sheet.

With the CD-ROM version, the child's responses are recorded on the computer.

Available from:

PIPS is offered by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University.

www.cemcentre.org/pips-baseline/introduction

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Pre-School Behaviour Checklist (PBCL) Age


2 to 5-year-old

A 22-item checklist which helps professionals objectively screen children for behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Individual; The examiner observes the child and marks the degree that best describes the child’s behaviour. Items are scored for frequency and severity.

For use in pre-school and nursery schools, the checklist covers emotions conduct, temper, activity level, concentration, social relations, speech, language, habits, wetting, and soiling. Each item lists three or four degrees of a particular behaviour.

Timing: not specified Includes a Developmental activities checklist.

By comparing total scores to criterion cutoff scores in the manual provided, the examiner can determine whether the child has an emotional or behavioural need that requires intervention.

Available from:

www.annarbor.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=248_101

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Salford Sentence Reading Tests (SSRT)


From about age 6 to 13+

A test of oral reading based on a series of sentences of graded difficulty. Especially suitable for assessing children who appear to be failing to make satisfactory reading progress.

Everyday contexts and vocabulary make this test suitable for use with less able readers.

One-to-one oral delivery by classroom teachers and SENCOs. Standard record sheet facilitates scoring, diagnostic analysis and monitoring of progress. Timing: 4–5 minutes per child

Manual gives reading ages up to 11:3, with standardised scores for less able readers extending to age 13 for reading accuracy (age 14 for comprehension).

Available from:

www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Title/9781444149456/New_Salford_Sentence_Reading_Test_Specimen_Set.htm

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Schedule of Growing Skills II (SoGS II) Age

Range Purpose Administration Scoring

Birth to 5 years

(Core age range of 18 months to 42 months)

A structured, standardised tool to assess developmental milestones in children. Assesses skills in the following nine areas of development:

Manipulation, Locomotion, Vision, Hearing, Speech and language, Interactive, Self care; and Social skills.

SoGS can also be used to screen for developmental delays, allowing practitioners to build a comprehensive profile of a child’s wider learning needs to inform referral or intervention.

Health visitors Approx. 15–30 minutes Untimed; approx 10–14 minutes

The assessment is plotted on a standard scoring sheet against chronological age.

Scoring provides a graphical representation of a child’s developmental level and identifies whether a child is reaching developmental milestone or achieving at one band above or below. One band below or above is still in the acceptable age range. Two bands or more below will identify potential developmental issues or delays with further investigation required, e.g. referral to paediatrician.

Each record form allows for up to four assessments of any one child, providing an indication of progress over time.

Paper Individual; professionals observe and assess reactions while the child ‘plays’ and completes standard tasks.

Available from:

GL-assessment

www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/schedule-growing-skills

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Teaching Talking


1–8 years

Teaching Talking provides a process of screening, profiling and recording the major aspects of a child’s development.

Regular (half termly) observation and

recording of child’s language

development on a three point scale;

pre-emerging, emerging and consistent

behaviour.

A classroom-based assessment, it focuses on children in Early Years settings and primary schools whose linguistic development appears to be delayed, or who are experiencing difficulties with listening or speaking.

Administration: Individual

Format: Paper

Timings: Untimed Range of standard profile forms provided

Used to generate evidence for an Early

Years profile and possible statementing.

Available from: www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/teaching-talking

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WellComm: A speech and language toolkit for the Early Years Age


6 months to 6 years

A speech and language toolkit, offering screening and intervention tools for children in the early years.

Also the Report Wizard, an online tool, monitors and evaluates the progress made by children using the WellComm toolkit. Once children have been screened, their results can be entered via a secure platform to generate a variety of reports.

The Online Report Wizard can report on children across any number of linked settings and can generate individual, group and local authority reports.

Individual The assessment bands children by placing them into one of three categories; a traffic light system that identifies children requiring immediate intervention, as well as those who show potential language difficulties (see below).

Format: Paper Timings: 10–15 minutes Suitable for use by non-specialist early years professionals.

Red = consider referral to a specialist service for further advice/assessment.

Standard record form. Amber = extra support and intervention

required. Green = no intervention currently.

Available from:

GL-assessment www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/wellcomm-speech-and-language-toolkit-early-years

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Appendix 9: Overview of locally developed Early Years assessment tools identified as being used currently in Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Locally Developed Tool

Age range Purpose Administration

7 to 8 months and 24 to 27 months

A locally developed tool, based on Mary

Sheridan’s approach, is used to carry out

developmental assessments across the BCUHB

area. The tool is used to assess the

developmental progress of children against

expected norms; all aspects of child development

are assessed.

Community pediatricians worked with health

visitors to agree universal standards of

development for children to meet.

Generic health visitors administer the LHB developmental assessment tool.

The LHB tool is approximately 90 per cent based on other validated tools.

Developed and used locally, this bespoke tool allows analysis of comparative information across the LHB area; Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Flintshire and Wrexham.

Available from:

Associate Chief of Staff (Nursing) for Children and Young People, BCUHB

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Cardiff Council

Age range Purpose

3–7 years Cardiff Council has established a working group of practitioners which has attempted to align the CDAP Developmental Areas and descriptions of behaviour with Foundation Phase outcomes. The resulting ‘tool’ is being piloted for on-entry baseline assessment purposes and will also be used also as a tracking tool to link child development assessment with FP outcomes. Consistent advice and guidance has been issued to schools. Decisions as to whether to adopt this approach are taken by individual schools. Non-maintained settings are expected/encouraged to use a similar approach.

Available from: Foundation Phase Training and Support officer, Cardiff Council

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Child Health review at 2 years; Cwm Taf LHB


2–2½ years

Formal assessment.

Administered by health visitors.

This locally developed assessment tool is based

on Mary Sheridan’s principles and devised by the

LHB based on advice from Speech Therapy and

Community Paediatricians.

The in-house ‘Child Health review at 2 years’ tool

is used for assessment of a child’s hearing, vision,

motor, social, communication and emotional

development.

The tool also gives more evidence in certain areas

that indicate a cause for concern in the child’s

development especially with regards to autism

and autism spectrum disorder.

All health visitors are trained in SoGS II and

recommended to use this tool when the in-house ‘Child

Health review at 2 years’ development tool indicates

there are areas of concern.

If any concerns are identified as a result of the formal assessment at nine months and 2½ years then the health visitor will do a SoGS II assessment.

Paediatricians will use the M-CHAT tool if required.

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Available from:

Practice Development Health Visitor, Cwm Taf LHB

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3+ Powys Learning Record

Age range

Purpose

3–7 years Developed for practitioners in funded non-maintained settings and teachers in schools.

An on-entry baseline assessment to assess stage of development and to record where the child is on-entry to

3+ setting.

Also used to assess children’s progress as the 3+ Learning Record is linked to the Foundation Phase

framework areas of learning.

Schools are not directed to use the Learning Record but may use whatever tool gives them an on-entry

profile.

The LA Foundation Phase support team provides on-entry assessment and observation training and training

on the use of the Powys 3+ Learning record to staff from 3+ settings.

Available from: Early Years Development Officer , Foundation Phase School Improvement Advisor, Powys CBC

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South East Wales Education Achievement Service

Age range

Purpose

3–7 years An amended tick list based on the CDAP has been disseminated to all schools and funded non-maintained

settings in the SE Wales EAS consortium focusing on the following three main areas of learning:

- Personal and Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity

- Language, Literacy and Communication Skills

- Mathematical Development.

This tick list was developed to support schools but is not a specific requirement. Teachers can use this ‘tool’

instead of the full CDAP for statutory on-entry baseline assessment.

Available from:

System leader with special responsibility for the Foundation Phase Team, SE WALES Education Achievement Service

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Swansea CBC; Development Tracker and Transition Document (adapted versions also used in Ceredigion CBC and Neath Port Talbot CBC)


18–48 months

Relatively recently developed by the Swansea Flying Start team, this tool/tracker is based on the CDAP. Primarily used for on-entry baseline assessment of 2-year-olds in childcare settings for the following developmental areas:

• personal • social • emotional • language and communication • cognitive

Paper-based.

Administered by childcare workers; overseen by the

Flying Start advisory teacher who trains the childcare

workers in its use.

• gross motor • fine motor.

Proforma/tick list for each area of development (one page per area). Used for early identification of developmental needs, the tracker shows development milestones from 18–48 months.

Repeated during the child’s year in the setting.

If necessary, information is used by the setting to

develop ‘play plans’ for individual children who are not

quite meeting expected norms. If a child is assessed as

not meeting norms, a referral is made to other agencies,

e.g. speech and language therapy or educational

psychologist.

The final assessment outcomes are used as the transition document when the child leaves the setting.

Available from:

Flying Start Team, Swansea CBC

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Wrexham CBC (also to be introduced in Conwy CBC); The Learning Journey


18/24 months up to national curriculum Level 4

The Lifelong Learning Department,

Wrexham CBC, has worked

collaboratively with practitioners (one

member of every school cluster has

been involved in working groups) to

develop a local assessment tool. The

‘Learning Journey’ (LJ) is aligned with

all relevant Welsh Government

statutory curriculum requirements and

non-statutory guidance. The on-entry

assessment element of the tool is

aligned with Foundation Phase

outcomes.

Its purpose is to ensure greater

consistency and continuity of approach

in funded non-maintained settings and

funded maintained settings. The

The LJ tool is used for on-entry, ongoing formative and summative assessment purposes. For on-entry, an OMS standardised mark sheet is available in paper and electronically. The information gathered during the assessment process is stored electronically on the school information management system (SIMS).

The LJ does not use a

numerical/grading/level system but

adopts a ‘can do’ approach.

Children are assessed against three

categories namely

emerging/developing/progressing/ as

they become more skillful.

For criteria in each category the child is

assessed as being – lower = on track

(secure)/ + upper (e.g. Emerging E-, E=,

E+).

The software is able to run reports by

age, gender, FSM, etc.

The LJ information (on-entry and end of

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support model includes:

– cluster-based training for on-entry

assessment using actual pupil work

provided by the participants

– LA produced exemplar profiles for FP

outcomes

– cluster ‘champions’ in a lead

practitioner role for the LJ

– weekly 2.5 hour drop-in sessions with

the FP advisory teacher(s) are held for

FP practitioners, often with a focus on

planning and assessment

– moderation of teachers’

assessments/judgements is built into

training.

phase) is collected electronically by the

LA from each setting. Regular dialogue

re the tracking of children throughout the

Foundation Phase is held between the

LA and schools.

Available from:

Head of Service 0-8; Lifelong Learning Department, Wrexham CBC

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Appendix 10: Overview of the other commercial Early Years assessment tools (and related- programmes) identified as being used currently in Wales Bayley–III Screening Test

Age Purpose Administration Scoring range 8 months Used primarily to assess the motor (fine

and gross), language (receptive and expressive), and cognitive development of infants and toddlers.

15 to 25 minutes

Scores nearly 100 items by age for three domains: cognitive, language, and motor. Standard checklist form that identifies items that can be scored through incidental observation. Items that are not scored through incidental observation are administered to the child.

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID–II) Age


Standardised measures of infant development. The test contains items designed to identify young children at risk for developmental delay.

Experienced clinicians specifically trained in BSID test procedures. 45–60 minutes

Raw scores of successfully completed items are converted to scale scores and to composite scores. These scores are used to determine the child's performance compared with norms taken from typically developing children of their age (in months).

Between the ages of 1 months and 42 months

Available from:

www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8027-256

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2Build a Profile – Early Years Age


3 years + 2Build a Profile – Early Years is a mobile app for building EYFS profiles. Claims to be linked to the ‘Welsh Early Years objectives’.

Online Web Management Suite for syncing multiple devices.

Individual learner profiles are automatically generated based on the evidence captured by teachers.

Security and encryption features ensure that all data is safe.

Also linked to Foundation Stage objectives for September 2012 and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Early Level experiences and outcomes.

Requires a site licence for three devices or more.

Provides individual learner reports and whole class reports via email or the online Web Management Suite.

Available from:

www.2simpleapps.com/

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http://www.2simpleapps.com/


B Squared Age


Breaks down the Early Years Foundation Phase (EYFS), P Levels and National Curriculum (in England) into small steps allowing schools to track progression through each level.

Covering all the subjects within the National Curriculum within one assessment package, B Squared provides standardisation across the different subjects within the school.

Allows recording to be done in the classroom during the lesson or during observation time.

Shows progression within a level and through levels.

Completed by ‘whoever is working with the learner’.

Produces assessment information across the curriculum for P Levels, National Curriculum.

The software creates a profile of the learners’ learning. Assessment system

available as: - Connecting Steps software package

Assessments can be used for IEPs and internal moderation.

With over 8000 schools using B Squared, detailed assessment data can be transferred between schools.

- photocopiable paper-based individual record sheets recording system.

Available from:

www.bsquared.co.uk/assessment.html

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Griffiths Mental Development Scale Extended Revised (GMDS-ER)


The Griffiths scales are used to measure the rate of development of young children; measuring development trends which are significant for intelligence, or indicative of functional mental growth. The six sub-scales include:

• locomotor: gross motor skills including the ability to balance and to coordinate and control movements

• personal-social: proficiency in the activities of daily living

• language: receptive and expressive language

• eye and hand coordination: fine motor skills

• performance • visuospatial skills • practical reasoning.

Paediatricians, child psychologists and educational psychologists

Simplified percentile and z-score ratings.

Available from:

www.aricd.org.uk/about-the-griffiths-scales

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Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI)


2 and 16 The ECBI is a parent rating scale which assesses child behavior problems.

It is intended to assess both the type of behaviour problems and the degree to which parents find them problematic.

It includes an Intensity Scale which measures the frequency of each problem behaviour and a Problem Scale which reflects parents' tolerance of the behaviours and the distress caused.

Questionnaire completed by parents, or administered by a professional, e.g. clinicians and service providers.

Used to screen for child behaviour problems and to monitor the effect of interventions on these behaviours.

Paper

Individual

Time: approximately 10–15 minutes to complete

Manual scoring for 36 items/questions against a Likert scale.

Approximately five minutes to score.

Available from: www.parinc.com/

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http://vinst.umdnj.edu/VAID/TestReport.asp?Code=ECBI

http://www.parinc.com/


The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R)


2 through to 5 years of age

An American tool designed to assess provision rather than the developmental progress of individual children.

The scale is used for monitoring purposes, and to guide practitioners towards creating higher quality programmes.

Childcare key worker and trained assessors.

Total scale consists of 43 items arranged into seven sub-scales namely:

• space and furnishings

• personal care routines

• language-reasoning

• activities (including fine motor)

• interaction (including supervision of gross motor activities)

• programme structure

• parents and staff.

12 page score sheet which incorporates notes and tables to assist in scoring.

Available from:

www.ersi.info/index.html

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Hawaii Early Learning Profile HELP 0-3


0–3 years A curriculum-based assessment, covering the six developmental domains/areas:

• cognitive • language

For parents As it does not require standardised materials, it is not standardised assessment and cannot yield exact developmental age levels or scores. Any developmental age levels derived from the HELP should be considered approximate and used to help support informed clinical opinion rather than used as a definitive score or age equivalent.

• gross Motor • fine Motor • social • self-help for working with children

and their families.

Developmental assessment record/booklet of 685 skills grouped into 58 strands for easier planning of next steps objectives.

Available from:

www.vort.com/

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http://www.vort.com/products/help_overview.html


Incredible Years Parenting Programmes, Webster Stratton Age


0–12 months

The Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme consists of a six part programme focused on helping parents learn to observe and read their babies' cues and learning ways to provide responsive care including physical, tactile, and visual stimulation as well as verbal communication.

The Incredible Years Parents and Toddlers Programme supports parents and consists of an eight part programme focused on strengthening positive and nurturing parenting skills.

Health visitors Not applicable

1–2 years

Available from:

www.incredibleyears.com/program/parent.asp

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The Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ITERS-R) Age


Birth to 2 ½ years

An American tool designed to assess provision rather than the developmental progress of individual children.

The scale is used for monitoring purposes, and to guide practitioners towards creating higher quality programmes.

Items have been added to make the scale more inclusive and culturally sensitive, and to reflect health and safety information.

Childcare key worker and trained assessors.

Total scale consists of 39 items/questions organised into seven subscales. • Space and furnishings. • Personal care routines. • Listening and talking. • Activities. • Interaction. • Program structure. • Parents and staff.

An expanded score sheet (which contains a worksheet) and additional notes for clarification to improve accuracy in scoring.

Available from:

www.ersi.info/iters.html

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Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA)


12 to 36 months

Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) is a screening test used to identify possible emerging social-emotional developmental delays. Followed-up with ITSEA for the in-depth analysis and intervention guidance. ITSEA provides an in-depth analysis to guide intervention planning. Highly targeted to the subtle growth and developmental stages of infants with norms presented in 6-month age bands. Focuses on a child’s strengths/ competencies, as well as deficits/weaknesses in four domains:

1. Externalizing

2. Internalizing

3. Dysregulation

Input from the parent and child care provider.

BITSEA: 42-item Parent Form

ITSEA: 166-item parent form

Scores for four broad domains, 17 specific subscales, and three index scores.

Childcare provider form

BITSEA: 7 to 15 minutes

ITSEA: 25 to 30 minutes

4. Competence

‘Scoring assistant’ software provides an easy-to-understand parent report.

Available from:

www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8007-387

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Middle Infants Screening Test (MIST) Age


5–6 years An early literacy screening tool which focuses on reading and writing skills.

Parent questionnaire MIST identifies the lowest-achieving 20–25 per cent of learners in any one class or year group.

Class teacher Observation sheet Group or whole-class administration Format: paper Timing: unlimited

Available from:

S. Hannavy, NFER-Nelson, 1993 www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products/middle-infant-screening-test-and-forward-together-programme

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The Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement


4–6 years To enable teachers to systematically observe children across a range of tasks in the first two years of schooling. This set of literacy assessment tasks is administered individually to students and assesses their skills in the following areas:

Individual A summary report is completed by the teacher, analysing strengths and weaknesses of literacy processing.

Approximately 45 minutes per student

Predictions for progress are completed after the full observation survey is administered.

• word knowledge

• print concepts

• phonemic awareness

• writing vocabulary

• text reading level.

It is recommended that teachers obtain a profile of a child across all tasks.

Available from:

Marie M Clay, 2002 www.heinemann.com/products/E00929.aspx

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Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test (REEL-3)


Birth through to 3 years

The Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test-Third Edition (REEL-3) is designed to identify infants and toddlers who have language impairments or who have other disabilities that affect language development.

Results are obtained from a caregiver interview.

Administration: Individual

The REEL-3 has two core subtests, Receptive Language and Expressive Language, and a supplementary subtest, Inventory of Vocabulary Words.

Time: 20 minutes

Standard scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents are provided.

Available from:

www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8498-135&Mode=summary

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Renfrew language scales


A set of three tests which look at both the grammatical content and the information content of spoken language. This language is elicited from asking a series of questions relating to pictures. The extent to which pictures of objects, arranged in order of difficulty, can be named correctly is assessed.

3 to 8 years

The age level of consecutive speech used in retelling a story can be assessed from the information content, sentence length and grammatical usage in this test.

Teacher All the tests are norm referenced so that a child’s score can be compared with scores achieved by children of a similar age.

Available from:

www.speechmark.net/word-finding-vocabulary-test-revised-edition

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The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ)


2/3 – 16 years

The SDQ is a behavioural screening questionnaire which asks about 25 attributes divided among five scales:

• emotional symptoms • conduct problems • hyperactivity/ inattention • peer relationship problems • pro-social behaviour.

Designed to identify the need for more in-depth assessment.

Parental questionnaire Several versions to meet the needs of researchers, clinicians and education specialists. Timing: 10 minutes

2–3 minutes to score. Generalising scores for each scale; the first four of these can be summed to yield a total difficulties score. ‘Before’ and ‘after’ SDQs can be used to audit everyday practice, e.g. in clinics or special schools and to evaluate specific interventions.

Available from: www.sdqinfo.com/a0.html


Appendix 11: Glossary Areas of Learning The seven Areas of Learning which comprise the Foundation Phase curriculum for 3 to 7-year-olds are:

• Personal and Social Development, Wellbeing and Cultural Diversity • Language, Literacy and Communications skills • Mathematical Development • Welsh Language Development • Knowledge and Understanding of the World • Physical Development • Creative Development.

AWFPA The All Wales Foundation Phase Advisors network group.

Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales is a division of the Department of Public Services and Performance in the Welsh Government. Its role includes regulating and making inspections of early years service providers. Childcare In Wales, child minding and the provision of day care for children under the age of eight are regulated by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales. Childminders Self-employed childcare providers who look after children in their own home, they must be registered and inspected by CSSIW. They may offer full day care or childcare before or after school or during school holidays. Day nurseries Look after and educate children from birth to age five. They are usually open all day, but not in the evenings or at weekends. There are different types of nurseries, including Welsh-medium (meithrinfeydd dydd), private, voluntary, local authority and workplace nurseries. All nurseries must be registered by CSSIW.

Data Exchange Wales Initiative (DEWi) A Wales specific secure transfer facility for use by schools, local authorities (LAs) and central organisations to exchange and send data safely. DEWi is used for Welsh Government National Data Collection files.

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Estyn Inspects quality and standards in education and training providers in Wales including nursery schools and childcare settings, including day nurseries and playgroups, that are maintained by, or receive funding from, local authorities. Educational quality and standards are inspected for settings delivering the Foundation Phase. The non-maintained (i.e. private and voluntary sector) child care provision which Estyn inspects in relation to educational requirements may also be subject to registration and inspection by CSSIW for delivery of child care. Foundation Phase The curriculum designed to meet the developmental needs of young children from 3 to 7 years of age in Wales. Foundation Phase Child Development Assessment Profile (CDAP) The Foundation Phase on-entry baseline assessment profile; introduced as a requirement in maintained schools from September 2011. Full day care Childcare settings that provide day care for children aged less than eight years old for a continuous period of four hours or more in any day, in premises which are not domestic premises. These may include day nurseries, children’s centres and wrap around care. Health visitor Health visitors lead and deliver child and family health services for babies to children aged five years. Integrated Children’s Centres (ICC) Each local area in Wales has at least one Integrated Children’s Centre, many of which provide childcare for children under the age of five, alongside other family services. Local authority Foundation Phase training and Support Officers Provide regular support, guidance and training to maintained and non-maintained settings which provide funded education for three and four year olds. Mudiad Meithrin (MM) The main provider of Welsh medium early years education in the voluntary sector. In addition to operating cylchoedd meithrin (Welsh-medium playgroups), MM also operates Welsh-medium day nurseries. National Childminding Association (NCMA) A professional membership association working with registered childminders to ensure local high quality home-based childcare, play, learning and family support.

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National Day Nurseries Association Cymru (NDNA) The national charity representing children’s day nurseries across Wales. Playgroups and Cylchoedd Meithrin Provide play and education sessions lasting two to three hours for children aged two to five. This care is usually provided in the morning or afternoon, and mainly during term-time. Sessional day care Childcare settings that provide day care for children aged less than eight years old for a session which is less that a continuous period of four hours in any day. The premises are not domestic premises. Mainly for children aged from three to five years old, although some settings may admit two-year-olds. These may include playgroups and cylchoedd meithrin. Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) The assessment and treatment of speech, language and communication disorders in people of all ages. Wales Pre-school Providers Association (WPPA) A national charity and membership organisation that promotes and supports bilingual pre-school care, education and learning through play across Wales. Wraparound care Offered as an extension to the care provided by playgroups/clychoedd meithrin, and local authority nursery education provision, and is often referred to as Playgroup Plus/Meithrin Mwy. Groups may operate for up to four hours a day.

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Appendix 12: Acknowledgements This report has been produced by Markit Training and Consultancy Ltd. on behalf

of the Assessment Branch, Department for Education and Skills, Welsh

Government.

The authors and members of the research team would like to thank all those who

contributed to the review process.

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the review of early years child assessment tools used in wales

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