What happens during moderation?

Moderation visit to the setting - If a school is going to receive an individual moderation visit they will receive a letter explaining this. The Head teacher will also receive a phone call from the moderator to discuss and arrange a specific date and time. There will be a half day visit during which the moderator will take part in a joint observation with the Lead Practitioner. After the observation there will be a discussion with teachers on the assessments, joint observations and the process that the school has in place for arriving at the judgements, i.e. how the assessments are gathered, who contributes to these, the range of evidence collected, and the school’s strategies for achieving accurate & consistent judgements.

During the visit a form will be completed, a copy of which will be given to the Lead Practitioner, the Head teacher and another copy retained by the Birth to Five Service. Following the moderation visit any identified action points should be addressed. This may include adjusting some assessments. Final judgements submitted at the end of June should be accurate in the light of any discussions during moderation. The lead practitioner will need to be released for a half day in order to work with the moderator. The moderator will select the three children to be moderated from the data printout of the cohort.

Lead Practitioners will need to have available: individual profiles that are in progress, (manual or eProfile printouts), or the school’s chosen way to record assessments against the scale points, and the evidence collected to make these judgements.

Cluster Moderation - A school's Head teacher will receive a letter asking them to delegate one lead practitioner to attend one of specified dates during the Summer Term. With a moderator and small group of other practitioners, the lead practitioner will discuss assessments made on three identified children and the process that the school has in place for arriving at the judgements, i.e. how the assessments are gathered, who contributes to these, the range of evidence collected, and the school’s strategies for achieving accurate & consistent judgements. Evidence towards these assessments will be needed to support the discussion.

At the end of the meeting a form will be completed, a copy of which will be given to the teacher, the Head teacher and another copy retained by the Birth to Five Service. Following the moderation meeting any identified action points should be addressed. Final judgements submitted at the end of June should be accurate in the light of any discussions during moderation.

Lead Practitioners will need to bring: individual profiles that are in progress, (manual or eprofile printouts), or the school’s chosen way to record assessments against the scale points, and the evidence collected to make these judgements. Lead Practitioners will also be asked to provide a copy of the averages bar chart for the current and previous years to discuss improvements in standards.