From our Educational Leaders

Supporting Every Child’s Learning Journey

At Ada Mary, we are continually reflecting on how we observe, understand, and support children’s learning and development. As part of this ongoing work, our leadership team have recently reviewed and updated our mid and end of year assessments to ensure it continues to reflect our values of belonging, inclusion, and respect for every child.

What’s changing?

This year you will notice that our assessments now look a little different from previous reports that focused mainly on written learning highlights. While those narrative reports told meaningful stories about children’s experiences, our updated assessment tools use a more structured format to capture learning across all areas of development in a clear, consistent, and equitable way.

This change does not mean we know your child any less; rather, it helps ensure that nothing important is missed, and that learning is recognised wherever and however it occurs.

A more inclusive way of seeing learning

• Children demonstrate their learning in many different ways. Some show skills independently, while others:
• use support from educators
• communicate through gestures, visuals, or communication tool
• learn through movement, play, or observation
• show progress in specific environments and/or at particular times

Our updated assessments recognise all of these as valid and meaningful. By refining our language and indicators, we are better able to describe how children learn; not just whether they have achieved a particular skill.

What do the indicators of learning mean?

Although the assessment includes tick boxes, these are not completed in isolation. Each finding is informed by ongoing observations, documentation, conversations, and the strong relationships educators have with your child. The structured format simply provides a clear summary of learning over time it does not replace the deep, thoughtful understanding educators hold of each child’s strengths, interests, and needs.

Supporting collaboration and early support:

This approach also strengthens how we work in partnership with families. More accurate and inclusive assessments help us build a clearer picture of each child’s development, which supports shared conversations about next steps. This may include adjustments within our everyday program, targeted strategies to support learning and wellbeing, or where appropriate collaboration with additional supports such as Preschool Field Officers (PSFOs) or allied health professionals. Importantly, these discussions always happen in partnership with families.

The information gathered through assessments also informs our teaching practice and program planning, ensuring we intentionally adapt environments, experiences, and routines to support every child’s growth.

What hasn’t changed

What remains the same is our commitment to seeing every child as capable, curious, and valued. Learning at Ada Mary continues to be

• play‑based and relationship‑focused
• Strengths‑driven
• guided by children’s interests and voices
• grounded in wellbeing, belonging, and joy in learning

Our updated assessments are simply another way we ensure that every child is seen, supported, and celebrated for who they are and how they learn.

Over the next couple of months, families will receive more information on our assessments via email, however if you have any questions or you would like to talk more about your child’s learning, we warmly invite you to speak with member of the leadership team.

Warm regards,
The Ada Mary Team