Methodology

Early years foundation stage profile results

• Published: 15 December 2022

Background

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile is a teacher assessment of children’s development at the end of the EYFS, specifically the end of the academic year in which a child turns 5. This is typically the summer term of reception year.  It should support a smooth transition to key stage 1 (KS1) by informing the professional dialogue between EYFS and KS1 teachers. This information should help year 1 teachers plan an effective, responsive and appropriate curriculum that will meet the needs of all children. The profile is also designed to inform parents or carers about their child’s development against the early learning goals (ELGs). 

This statistical publication is produced to provide an overview of children’s development at national and subnational level.

As part of wider reforms to the EYFS, the EYFS profile was revised significantly in September 2021. Changes from the previous framework 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. 

Further information on EYFS assessment and reporting arrangements, alongside other EYFS resources, can be found on the Early years: detailed information GOV.UK webpage.

Early learning goals and areas of learning

The EYFS framework contains 17 early learning goals (ELGs) in 7 areas of learning covering children’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social development.

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. 

Area of learning		Early learning goal
Prime areas of learning	Communication and language	Listening, attention and understanding
		Speaking
	Personal, social and emotional development	Self-regulation
		Managing self
		Building relationships
	Physical development	Gross motor skills
		Fine motor skills
Specific areas of learning	Literacy	Comprehension
		Word reading
		Writing
	Mathematics	Number
		Numerical patterns
	Understanding the world	Past and present
		People, culture and communities
		The natural world
	Expressive arts and design	Creating with materials
		Being imaginative and expressive

The assessment scales

The EYFS profile captures the areas of learning as a set of early learning goals. Children are assessed against the 17 early learning goals as either being at the ‘emerging’ or the ‘expected’ level at the end of the EYFS.

Additionally, ‘A’ indicates a child who has not been assessed due to long periods of absence, for instance a prolonged illness, or arrived too late in the summer term for teacher assessment to be carried out, or for an exemption

For more detailed information see the EYFS profile handbook.

National Statistics badging

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority designated these statistics as National Statistics in July 2012, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. 

Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:

• meet identified user needs;
• are well explained and readily accessible;
• are produced according to sound methods, and
• are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.

Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. 

The Department has a set of statistical policies in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Data collection

The source of data for this publication is the early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile collection, an annual statutory child-level collection from all local authorities in England, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of July. The 2021/22 data collection was the first since 2018/19, as the 2019/20 and 2020/21 collections were cancelled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Local authorities (LAs) are required to collect and report to the Department for Education (DfE) teacher assessments for:

• all children at the end of the EYFS in state-funded schools and maintained nursery schools
• children in private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers, including childminders, where the child’s early years provision is still government-funded at the end of the EYFS (the funding for a child in a PVI provider ceases in the term following the child's 5th birthday, so in practice this includes only children born in the summer term)

This publication therefore covers all schools and early years providers with children registered for government-funded early years provision at the end of the EYFS.

Schools and early years providers submit data to their local authority who then load the data into the DfE bespoke data collection system: COLLECT (Collections On-Line for Learning, Education, Children and Teachers). 

The system is stored securely on DfE servers and is accessed by local authorities via the internet, with each local authority given secure log in details.

COLLECT has built-in validation rules which identify invalid data or where the quality is questionable. This allows local authorities to identify errors and clean the data before they submit it to the DfE. Validation rules can either be errors (data is invalid) or queries (data quality is questionable but could be accurate in certain circumstances). 

Local authorities are encouraged to clean all errors and double-check data where queries are flagged. Notes can be added to their return if there is a genuine reason for “unusual” data.

Further information on the data items collected in the EYFS profile return can be found in the collection guide. This and other documents useful for the completion of the return can be found on the DfE collection website. 

Data processing

Production of this statistics publication

Once the department has received all data from local authorities through the early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile collection, it is matched into the national pupil database (NPD). The NPD is a longitudinal database linking assessment outcomes and census data. This means school census and early years census data can be used to produce breakdowns of EYFS profile outcomes by child characteristics. The NPD also excludes shielded children, children with parents in the armed forces who are being educated abroad, and duplicate records.

Calculated data items 

Average number of early learning goals (ELGs) at expected level per child

This is the mean number of early learning goals children were at the expected level for. The maximum number would be 17, if every child was at the expected level for every early learning goal. This measure replaces the average point score measure from previous years.

Number and percentage of children at expected level in all ELGs

This is a count (and derived percentage of all children) of children who were at the expected level for all 17 ELGs.

Number and percentage of children at expected level in all Communication and language and Literacy ELGs

This is a count (and derived percentage of all children) of children who were at the expected level for the ELGs in the communication and language area of learning and the ELGs in the literacy area of learning.

Number and percentage of children having a good level of development

This is a count (and derived percentage of all children) of children who were at the expected level for all 12 ELGs within the 5 areas of learning relating to: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; physical development; literacy; and mathematics.

Number and percentage at emerging level in early learning goal or area of learning

This is a count (and derived percentage of all children) of children who were at the emerging level for a specific ELG or area of learning.

Number and percentage at expected level in early learning goal or area of learning

This is a count (and derived percentage of all children) of children who were at the expected level for a specific ELG or area of learning.

Child characteristics

Gender

The gender of the child is recorded as male or female in the school census or early years census. In exceptional circumstances a setting may be unsure as to which gender should be recorded for a particular child. The advice from the department is to record the gender according to the wishes of the pupil and/or parent. 

Ethnicity

Ethnicity was collected on a mandatory basis for all children for the first time in 2017. Both the school census and the early years census record the ethnicity as stated by the parent/guardian. Ethnicity is a personal awareness of a common cultural identity and relates to how a person feels and not how they are perceived by others. It is a subjective decision as to which category a person places themselves in and does not imply any other characteristics such as religion or country of origin. 

The setting must not ascribe any ethnicity to the child. The information must come from the parent/guardian. Where the ethnicity had not yet been collected, ‘NOBT’ (information not yet obtained) was recorded. If a parent/guardian refused to provide ethnicity, ‘REFU’ (refused) was recorded. These categories combined are shown as ‘unclassified’ within the underlying data tables.

Where a child’s ethnicity was not recorded in the school census, the ethnicity recorded in the early years census for that child was used. If a child’s ethnicity was not recorded in either the school census or the early years census, then that child’s ethnicity is shown as ‘unclassified’.

In previous publications, Chinese children were included in the ‘Other’ major ethnic group. Based on new guidance, Chinese children are now included in the ‘Asian’ major ethnic group in the 2021/22 data.

First language

First language was collected on a mandatory basis for all children in state-funded schools for the first time in 2017. A first language other than English is where a child was exposed to the language during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community. If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may include English) during early development the language other than English is recorded, irrespective of the child's proficiency in English. In the case of an older pupil who is no longer exposed to the first language in the home, and who now uses only another language, the school consults with the pupil or parent to determine which language should be recorded.

Where a pupil’s first language is not English, schools may record specific languages from the extended language code set or continue to use codes from the short code set used in PLASC 2006. ENB (Not known but believed to be English) and OTB (Not known but believed to be other than English) are appropriate where a pupil’s first language is not known with absolute certainty because the parents have not responded to enquiries, but the school can judge with a high degree of confidence whether it is English or not. Where it was not possible to make this judgement, the child’s first language is shown as ‘unclassified’ within the underlying data tables.

First language is not collected in the early years census, so children who did not appear in the school census have their first language shown as ‘unclassified’ within the underlying data tables.

Free school meals eligibility

Free school meal (FSM) eligibility is collected in the school census and states whether a child's family have claimed eligibility for free school meals. Parents are able to claim free school meals if they receive a qualifying benefit.

From September 2014 all infant pupils in state-funded schools have been entitled to a free school meal. The FSM eligibility variable does not relate to children who actually received free school meals but those children who were eligible to receive free school meals. Children not eligible for free school meals, or children whose eligibility was not known, are described as ‘Not known to be eligible for free school meals’ in the statistical release.

Free school meals are only provided in state-funded schools, so FSM eligibility is not collected in the early years census. Children who did not appear in the school census are therefore categorised as ‘Not known to be eligible for free school meals’ in the statistical release.

Term of birth

Children born in the autumn term may have attended early years provision for a longer period of time before they reach the end of the EYFS than pupils born at other times of the year. Therefore, EYFS profile outcomes are broken down by term of birth.

Term of birth for each child has been classified as below: 

Autumn-born = September, October, November or December 

Spring-born = January, February, March or April

Summer-born = May, June, July or August

In 2021/22, the standard dates of birth for the EYFS academic year run from 1st September 2016 to 31st August 2017. Children born outside of the standard reported academic year have been classified as the lower or upper grouping. This means a child born on 31st August 2016 or before will be classified as autumn-born and a child born 1st September 2017 or after will be classified as summer-born.

Special educational needs (SEN) provision

Children with SEN are currently classified as follows:

SEN support

Extra or different help is given from that provided as part of the school’s usual curriculum. The class teacher and special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) may receive advice or support from outside specialists. The pupil does not have an education, health and care plan. SEN support replaced the former School Action and School Action Plus categories from 2015. 

Education, health and care (EHC) plans 

A pupil has an EHC plan when a formal assessment has been made. A document is in place that sets out the child’s need and the extra help they should receive. Prior to September 2014, a statement of SEN was used. The period for local authorities to transfer children and young people with statements of SEN to EHC plans started in September 2014 and ended in 2018. Following the introduction of EHC plans in September 2014, statements of SEN and EHC plans were grouped together within the data.

The type of SEN provision a child receives is collected on both the school and early years census. If a child was recorded by a school as not on roll at the time of the spring school census and was not in the early years census, or was not in either census at all, that child is categorised as having ‘unclassified’ SEN provision.

When interpreting underlying data file 3, it should be noted that children who had ‘unclassified’ SEN provision for either of the reasons above cannot have been eligible for free school meals.

SEN primary need

A child with SEN’s primary need is the child’s most significant special educational need. This is collected through the school census, but not the early years census, so the sum of children broken down by primary need may not match the total number of children receiving SEN provision.

Income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) decile

IDACI is a supplementary index of the English indices of deprivation 2019. Each lower-layer super output area (LSOA), or neighbourhood, is given a score showing the percentage of pupils aged under 16 that live in income deprived households. These neighbourhoods are grouped into deciles so that the 10% of neighbourhoods with the highest scores (that is, with the most deprived children) make up decile 1, and the 10% of neighbourhoods with the lowest scores (that is, with the fewest deprived children) make up decile 10.

Geography

Breakdowns by local authority district in underlying data files 1 and 2 are based on matching the postcode of the school or provider to the February extract of the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL). A small number of schools and providers could not be matched to a local authority district. The assessment outcomes of the children attending these settings (0.1% of all children) are shown in the 'Outside England and unknown' category.

Breakdowns by local authority district in underlying data file 4 are based on matching the child’s home postcode to the February extract of the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL). A small number of children could not be matched to a local authority district. The assessment outcomes of these children (0.2% of all children) are shown in the 'Outside England and unknown' category.

Breakdowns by IDACI decile are based on matching the child’s home postcode to the February extract of the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL), and the English indices of deprivation 2019.

Confidentiality

The Code of Practice for Statistics requires that reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that all published or disseminated statistics protect confidentiality. The publication follows the DfE policy statement on confidentiality. As a result of rounding percentages may not sum to 100.

Where any number is shown as zero, the original figure submitted was zero. 

The following symbols have been used:

z          data not applicable

b          break in time series

Data quality

These statistics include results for only those children who were registered for government-funded early years provision at the end of the EYFS. Children who are not registered for government-funded early years provision at the end of the EYFS are not in the scope of the Department’s EYFS profile data collection and therefore not included in the results. 

The results are for government-funded children who were assessed at the end of the 2021/22 academic year. Children in state-funded schools who have been held back will be included in the results for the year in which they were assessed and so these statistics may include results from some children outside of the usual EYFS age range.

In 2021/22, returns were received from 99.7% of expected schools and early years providers. There were 47 settings with data still outstanding at the end of the data collection.

Ordinarily the EYFS profile must be completed in the final term of the academic year in which the child reaches the age of five, the only exceptions being:

• where an exemption from all or part of the EYFS assessment arrangements has been granted for the setting by the Secretary of State for Education; or
• where a child is continuing in EYFS provision beyond the year in which they turn five.

The following records are excluded from the statistics:

• children with an ‘A’ (exemption) recorded against any area or goal in their EYFS profile
• children of parents in the armed forces in overseas schools
• shielded children
• duplicate records

627,487 records were returned in the 2021/22 EYFS profile data collection. 4,904 records (0.8%) have been excluded from the statistics for one or more of the above reasons.

Data quality issues for specific local authorities and years

Data was missing for two-thirds of children (or 10 children) in the Isles of Scilly in 2021/22, which was not able to be resolved before the data collection closed. Caution should be taken when interpreting the results for this local authority in this year.

Once the 2021/22 EYFS profile data collection closed, City of London local authority made the department aware that almost one-quarter of children in the local authority  had not been uploaded and were missing from the return. Caution should be taken when interpreting the results for this local authority in this year.

Sutton local authority uploaded data for a small number of children in the local authority (<1%) that included invalid assessment outcomes. These invalid values were accepted by the system due to an error with a new validation rule, which has now been fixed. However, as children must have valid assessment outcomes against all early learning goals to be included in the publication, the department has excluded these children from the published data.