For many years those working in the early years were required to assess children’s learning in a formulaic way, based on banks of statements that described milestones you would typically expect to find for young children.
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) reforms, introduced last year, changed this. Today early years settings can develop their own assessment approaches, personalised to their own context.
This is a positive development. However, we need to ensure that any new approaches don’t exclude children with learning differences or disabilities. Our assessment systems should be like our learning environments - inclusive, responsive and adaptable.
As a SEND education adviser and former deputy head of Cherry Garden, a school for children with complex learning differences, I’ve been trying to develop more inclusive approaches to assessment for some time. There is lots to consider if we’re to create child-centred processes that provide tangible benefits for everyone involved.
Consider EYFS assessment as continual
From the moment we first meet a child, we begin to assess what they need to be able to learn and develop. For children with learning differences or disabilities, these initial assessments are particularly important and help us to build up a picture of a child. What interests them? What makes them feel safe, happy and comfortable? What makes them feel scared or unhappy?
More teaching and learning:
A new toolkit, produced by Doncaster Council in collaboration with Tapestry, helps educators to be more reflective, holistic and inclusive when initially assessing a child. The Reflection Toolkit (free to download) focuses on fixing the provision, not the child.
Whether consciously or not, we have historically considered that an important aspect of our role is to fix children with learning differences or disabilities so that they can function more successfully in the “normal” world. It’s a fundamental problem within our system and it’s time we shifted our mindset and looked beyond seeking out additional support as the only solution.
Accept that children’s development journeys vary greatly
It is important to understand the way that children typically develop, but we need to ensure that this doesn’t become a benchmark for children with learning differences or disabilities. An inclusive assessment approach recognises that each child’s learning journey is unique. For example, a child with Down’s syndrome may learn to read in a different way than their neurotypical peers.
We need to continually review our environment based on our daily observations and assessments of a child’s learning.
From deficit to celebration
Assessment of children with learning differences and disabilities regularly results in a negative view of a child’s development, highlighting what hasn’t happened rather than focusing on what a child has achieved.
At Cherry Garden School, we redeveloped our assessment model, creating ”branch maps”, which allowed teachers to capture a child’s broad learning in a flexible, non-linear manner. This focused on celebrating a child’s individual learning journey for its own sake. For example, a child with complex support needs might respond to stimuli in a range of scenarios, and in different environments, and so consolidate their learning in a lateral manner, applying their learning in different contexts.
Senior support for inclusive assessment
An inclusive approach to assessment means less data, but senior leaders need to understand that this is about educators knowing more about their children. We need to trust our professional judgement, as well as drawing on the expertise of our peers, our children’s families and other professionals who may be involved in supporting a child.
You don’t need to stop talking about children’s progress, but, instead, talk less about tracking scores. It can be a breath of fresh air to refocus efforts on teaching and learning spaces, rather than crunching the numbers.
Ultimately, our assessment procedures need to help us develop a deep understanding of each child so we can create the right learning environment and offer the right opportunities for them to thrive. If we’re not able to do this, then why are we assessing?
Stephen Kilgour is SEND adviser and outreach teacher for The Foundation Stage Forum and Tapestry
