Bryan Slater Director of Education	Distribution
	Nursery Schools Infant Schools First Schools Primary Schools First and Middle Schools Special Schools (with FS Classes)

This document needs your action as detailed below:

ACTION	Title	Norfolk Foundation Stage Assessment Document
	Summary of contents	Letter with flyer and booking form
	Associated documents	Norfolk Foundation Stage Assessment Document
	Date	1 July 2003
	Summary of action required	Please circulate to Foundation Stage staff
	To be completed by	31 July 2003
	LEA Contact	Mary Read, Early Years Coordinator	(	01603 433276 ext 107
	E-mail address	mary.read@norfolk.gov.uk
	Norfolk Self Review reference	1. How high are standards?
	Document reference	MI 147/03

Dear Practitioners

NORFOLK FOUNDATION STAGE ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT

Thank you to all of you who completed and returned the questionnaires relating to The Norfolk Foundation Stage Assessment Document. At the time of analysis 102 replies were received from schools and 192 from the non-maintained childcare sector.

The replies were wide and varied with many practitioners finding the checklist system very useful. There were, however many useful comments and suggestions about how to move forward. These included the request for more space to put dates and write comments. An opportunity for parents and children to be part of the process. One main request was that the way forward would need to use language that could be understood by all parties involved.

There were mixed replies to the way in which the information was being shared between practitioners and the responsibility for passing on information rested mainly with the parents.

Requests for support and training in the use of the document and in the partnership between parent/carer/child and the setting was high on the list.

The new document is now ready and hopefully covers many of these requests. It is designed to build on what the child can do and uses the good observation and assessment processes already in place. It also links together the early stages of assessment with the Foundation Stage Profile. It also offers parents the opportunity to give permission for records to be shared between pre-school and school provision.

NORFOLK FOUNDATION STAGE ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT 1 July 2003

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The decision has been made to make the new document available to schools and childcare settings at a series of twilight and Saturday sessions. These will be locally based and members of the advisory team will be there to explain how the document is intended to operate. There will be time for questions and for the non-maintained settings follow up support will be offered through the Link Teacher team.

A list of training venues and dates has been enclosed with this letter and one place per setting will be offered. These sessions are free of charge and practitioners will need to meet their own travel, supply and childcare costs. Can you please complete the form and return it as soon as possible to Lisa Poploski at Norwich Professional Development Centre.

We see this as an exciting time in observation and assessment with a process that will build on what the child knows and link the different styles of provision in The Foundation Stage.

Yours sincerely

Marcelle Curtis

Head of Early Years and Childcare Strategy