Baseline Assessment
A reception baseline is an assessment of children's skills as they begin their reception year. As of September 2021, it became a statutory assessment as part of the EYFS framework.
Teachers will observe a child during the first few weeks of joining their class. The main goal is to establish the child's current level of attainment and plan their next steps. The main areas of focus for the reception baseline assessment EYFS are PSED (Personal, Social, Emotional Development), literacy, communication and language, physical development, and maths skills.
There’ll be a short-lived session with the child’s Class Teacher or Teaching Assistant, on a one-to-one basis. They’ll be completing a number of interactive and practical tasks. The short, task-based assessment can happen at any point during children’s first six weeks, starting reception. It will form the beginning of the new measure and looks at how schools are helping toward the progression of children from reception up until year six.
The assessment is developed to be inclusive and is adapted for children to use with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). There are modified materials for those who have English as an additional language (EAL), too.
Speech and Language
Speech, language and communication skills are crucial to young children's overall development. Being able to speak clearly and process speech sounds, to understand others, to express ideas and interact with others are fundamental building blocks for a child's development.
Wellcomm Assessment
Delayed language skills lead to under-performance later in life. We use the Wellcomm assessment and intervention programme for early identification and intervention to support our children. It screens children for speech and language ability, often identifying problems before they become more serious, and provides activities to address them.