1. Assessment in the Early Years

2. Aims Understand how we assess children in the Early Years
Understand what is expected of the children at the end of Reception

3. Why do we assess?
To celebrate the child’s uniqueness, strengths, interests and personalities
To support the settling-in process, and the development of positive relationships
To identify and plan for the appropriate next steps for the children
So learning and development moves at an appropriate pace for each child
So milestones are achieved, and achievements are reported sensitively and honestly to parents and carers
To identify individual needs
So unexpected developmental patterns are identified early and accurately, and shared with partner professionals

4. EYFS Curriculum Areas of Learning and Development
Prime Areas:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Specific Areas:
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

5. Early Years Age/ Stage Bands
Birth to 11 months
8 to 20 months
16 to 26 months
22 to 36 months
30 to 50 months
40 to 60 months

6. Early Learning Goals
Children are only assessed against the Early Learning Goals in June, not before (DfE guidelines)
The EYFS profile summarises and describes the children’s attainment at the end of the EYFS. It is based on ongoing observations and assessment in the three prime and four specific areas of learning and the three characteristics of effective learning

7. Emerging/ Expected/ Exceeding
In the final term of the EYFS practitioners must review their knowledge of each child using information from all sources to make a judgement for each ELG (Early Learning Goal).
The age related expectation is expected. It is also based on ‘Best Fit’ - children do not have to have equal mastery of all aspects of the ELG, apart from when reaching exceeding.
Practitioners must make a judgement for each ELG as to whether the child’s learning and development is best described by:
the description of the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS (expected);
not yet at the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS (emerging);
or beyond the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS (exceeding).
In making this decision, practitioners must refer to the exemplification material which is available on the Department’s website at
This material illustrates the standard expected for each ELG at the end of the EYFS.

8. Good Level of Development
The Government set out how the Good Level of Development (GLD) measure is defined.
Children are defined as having reached a good level of development at the end of the EYFS if they have achieved at least the expected level in:
ALL the Early Learning Goals in ALL the Prime Areas of Learning (Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Physical Development; and Communication and Language)
And ALL the Early Learning Goals in the Specific Areas of Literacy and Mathematics

9. How do we assess? Observations e.g. child initiated Photographs
Video clips
Adult focused work e.g. writing, maths
Focused assessment e.g. phonics
Children’s independent work e.g. writing, paintings, drawings, etc.
Parents contributions e.g. wow books, discussions
the pupil’s view of his or her own learning

10. Why do we observe children’s play?
The majority of observations must be child initiated, independent work to be valid as evidence for the profile.
Children often learn through guided work with their teachers and then start to apply their new learning in their ‘play’.
Embedded learning is identified by assessing what a child can do consistently and independently in a range of everyday situations.

11. How do we use the assessments?
Planning for individual needs
Target setting
Gap analysis
To inform parents
To inform Year 1 teachers