What is the moderator's role?

During visits to settings and through cluster moderations, the moderator will:

• Support accurate & consistent judgements by referring to national exemplification materials during professional dialogue;
• Discuss a school’s processes for promoting accurate and consistent judgements across the setting e.g. in-house moderation;
• Answer any questions practitoners may have e.g. about particular scale points that are proving difficult to assess.
• Facilitate agreement trialling activities to provide guidance on practical ways of collecting evidence to support judgements for the EYFS Profile;
• Work with the Lead Practitioner to ensure judgements are in line with National Exemplification materials and expectations.

Should the moderator judge that an assessment is not in line with the exemplified standards, they will contact the headteacher or manager of the early years setting to arrange further training/moderation activities for practitioners to participate in. The assessments will need to be reconsidered as advised by the moderator. Procedures should be designed to promote consistent and accurate assessment judgements should be supportive to practitioners and should not be burdensome for schools and other settings.
Moderators are well-qualified and effective practitioners identified by the Local Authority to form a team. They are seconded from settings or part of the Birth to Five Service Team. Each year they recieve training and take part in agreement trialling activities.