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 comprises 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. These prime areas 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 |
What these statistics cover
This statistical commentary covers the following at national level:
- the percentage of children at the ‘expected’ level in each of the 17 ELGs (across the 7 areas of learning).
- the percentage of children with a good level of development, including breakdowns by child characteristics and sub-national geographies.
- the percentage of children at the expected level across all 17 ELGs.
- the average number of ELGs for which children are at the expected level.
Additional statistics can be found in the underlying data for this publication, including:
- further breakdowns of the above by individual and multiple child characteristics and sub-national geographies.
- the percentage of children at the expected level in the communication and language and literacy areas of learning.
- the percentage of children at the ‘emerging’ level in each of the 17 ELGs, including breakdowns by child characteristics and sub-national geographies.
Changes to the EYFS Profile in 2021
As part of wider early education 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 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 assessment outcomes since 2021/22 with earlier years.
Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Disruption to early years provision and family life and the limiting of social contact with peers during the pandemic is likely to have affected EYFS assessment outcomes. Early years settings were closed to all but vulnerable children and children of critical workers between March and June 2020, when the children taking the EYFS assessment in 2021/22 were approximately 3 years old, in 2022/23 were approximately 2 years old, and in 2023/24 were approximately 1 year old. Many settings will have faced ongoing disruption of varying degrees - for example due to staff absence. Also, social contact with peers was limited for much of 2020 and some of 2021.
Decreases were seen between 2018/19 and 2021/22 in attainment elsewhere. The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check (in year 1) fell over the period (down 7 percentage points). This was followed by a rise in 2022/23 (up 3 percentage points) and then another smaller rise in 2023/24 (up 1 percentage point), a pattern also seen in these statistics in the percentage of children with a good level of development and at the expected level across all 17 early learning goals.
It is not possible to ascertain the scale of the impact of the pandemic on the development of children at national, sub-national or individual levels at the end of the EYFS from the EYFS statistics since 2021/22 alone. This is because the EYFS Profile (opens in a new tab) was revised in September 2021 and so direct comparisons between data from 2021/22 onwards and earlier years are not possible.
Data collection
Data is collected from local authorities covering state-funded schools and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers (including childminders) as part of the EYFS Profile return (opens in a new tab). This data is then matched to other data sources, including the school and early years censuses, to obtain information on pupil characteristics.
