The statutory EYFS framework (opens in a new tab) sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must follow to ensure all children have the best start in life and are prepared for school. It requires that children be assessed against the EYFS profile in the summer term of the academic year in which they turn 5.
The EYFS profile is intended to provide an accurate representation of each child’s development at the end of the EYFS to support their transition into year 1. It is made up of an assessment of the child’s outcomes in relation to 17 early learning goals (ELGs) across 7 areas of learning.
The 3 prime areas of learning are: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; and physical development. The EYFS profile has a stronger emphasis on the 3 prime areas, which are particularly important for children’s healthy development and are the basis for successful learning in the other 4 specific areas of learning: literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; and expressive arts and design.
As shown in the table below, children are defined as having a good level of development at the end of the EYFS if they are at the expected level for the 12 ELGs within the 5 areas of learning relating to: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; physical development; literacy; and mathematics.
| Area of learning | Early learning goal | Part of the good level of development measure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime areas of learning | Communication and language | Listening, attention and understanding | Yes |
| Speaking | Yes | ||
| Personal, social and emotional development | Self-regulation | Yes | |
| Managing self | Yes | ||
| Building relationships | Yes | ||
| Physical development | Gross motor skills | Yes | |
| Fine motor skills | Yes | ||
| Specific areas of learning | Literacy | Comprehension | Yes |
| Word reading | Yes | ||
| Writing | Yes | ||
| Mathematics | Number | Yes | |
| Numerical patterns | Yes | ||
| Understanding the world | Past and present | No | |
| People, culture and communities | No | ||
| The natural world | No | ||
| Expressive arts and design | Creating with materials | No | |
| Being imaginative and expressive | No | ||
Changes to the EYFS profile
As part of wider reforms to the EYFS, the EYFS profile (opens in a new tab) was revised significantly in September 2021. Changes from the previous framework (opens in a new tab) include:
- revisions to strengthen all 7 areas of learning in the EYFS, with new educational programmes that set out what children must experience and learn about
- revisions to all 17 ELGs across the 7 areas of learning to make these clearer and more precise and to make it easier for practitioners to understand what is required for a child to be at the expected level of development
- removal of ‘exceeding’ assessment band
- removal of statutory local authority moderation
It is therefore not possible to directly compare 2021/22 assessment outcomes with earlier years.
Additionally, users should consider that it may take time for teachers and schools to adjust to using the new statutory framework and EYFS profile and for outcomes to stabilise.
Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Disruption to early years provision and the limiting of social contact with peers during the pandemic is likely to have affected EYFS assessment outcomes; decreases have been seen between 2018/19 and 2021/22 in attainment for the phonics screening check, key stage 1 national curriculum assessments, and key stage 2 national curriculum assessments.
However, it is not possible to ascertain the scale of the impact of COVID-19 on the development of children at the end of the EYFS from the 2021/22 EYFS statistics alone, as the EYFS profile (opens in a new tab) was revised in September 2021. Other circumstances may also have influenced the development of this cohort. For example, the percentage of children eligible for free school meals at the end of the EYFS rose from 14% in 2018/19 to 18% in 2021/22.