Step 4. Children's Observational Assessment

To complete the observational assessment you should:

• Select six children: aged three to four years old. You may want to include a mixture of boys and girls, children with various patterns of attendance, children with EAL, children with SEND, children entitled to EYPP etc. If you are using the programme as a whole setting approach you can choose to track more than six children. For example, you may choose to track six babies, six two year olds and six three and four-year-olds. 
• Observe children or use your professional knowledge: to recognise and focus on what each child is showing you in their play and interactions with regards to maths knowledge and skills.
• Use the learning trajectory ranges below to identify the broad level each child is at for each of the mathematical key areas: using the descriptions for each level listed and numbered 
• Record the level on the observational assessment tool: as a number. You can accompany this with a general written observation, if you wish to do so.   
• Use this observational information: to consider how you could deepen, enrich and extend current skills and interests.

• Don’t agonise over which level is the right one. Go with your first instinct, using your professional judgement. 
• This is a best fit judgement, not an assessment. If you feel a child is between two levels, select the lower level or select both.
• Remember this data is not going back to other staff, parents or learners. The data is purely to support you to identify what you could do to enrich and extend maths learning and the impact of what you have introduced on children's maths outcomes as a result of accessing the programme, not to examine children. 

For example, first consider Cardinality. If you do not already have the information available from the child’s observational records or your professional judgement, consider what you have observed them do over the last two weeks. Read each of the level descriptions from 1-6 in the learning trajectory ranges and make a best fit judgement.