Learning, Development and Care

Wakefield Families Together > Early Years > Information for Families > Learning, Development and Care

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The Statutory Framework for the EYFS sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

A useful guide for families on the EYFS, and what it means for you and your child/ren, can be found at https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/01/EYFS_Parents_Guide-amended1.pdf

This explains more about:-

The legal and welfare requirements that all Early Year’s providers must follow to keep your child safe and to promote their welfare
The 7 areas of learning and development which guide professionals’ engagement with your child’s play and activities as they learn new skills and knowledge
Assessments that will tell you about your child’s progress through the EYFS
Expected levels that your child should reach at age 5, usually the end of the reception year; these expectations are called the “Early Learning Goals (ELGs)”

This also provides some useful guidance for families on how you can support your child’s learning at home.

Progress Check at Age 2

Between the ages of 2 and 3, the professionals working with your child give you a written summary of how your child is progressing. This is known as the ‘Progress Check at Age 2’. The check is made in the three ‘prime’ areas of learning:

Communication and Language – This section will comment on the development of nonverbal communications, understanding of language and the development of their spoken language.

Personal, Social, Emotional Development – How your child is forming relationships with adults and other children, how they are developing a sense of them self and how they are beginning to manage their own emotions.

Physical Development – This will take in to account how your child is developing within their large (gross motor) movements and smaller (fine motor) movements. This will also look at how they are starting to manage their own personal needs independently such as toilet training.

The review will be completed by the person who knows your child the best, this is usually your child’s key worker.

The short written review should be shared with you as parents and will:

Identify your child’s strengths
Note areas in which your child is developing at a slower pace
Highlight things that the childcare provider will do to support your child’s learning
Give you some ideas on how to support your child at home
Include views from any other professionals that are already working with your child and any strategies that they will use in order to support your child in the future.
Ask for contributions from you as parents.
Ask for any comments from your child

Your childcare provider will ask permission to share the information on the ‘Progress check at age 2’ with the health visiting service, if some of your child’s areas of development are progressing at a slower rate than expected. This is so further advice and support can be gained from other professionals to make sure that your child can get the support they need. Your childcare provider will give you more information about this at the time of completion.

If your child does not attend any childcare between the ages of two and three, the ‘Progress Check at Age 2’ will not be completed. If you have any concerns about your child’s development please contact your health visiting team Health visiting – Wakefield | BDCT

If you have any further questions about the progress check please contact your childcare provider or the Family Information Service information@wakefield.gov.uk 0800 587 8042

Reception Baseline Assessment

Within the first six weeks of your child starting school in the Reception Year, the teacher will carry out a 20 minute assessment on Communication and Language, Literacy and Mathematics. This is known as the Reception Baseline Assessment.

It is a short task-based assessment in which your child will use practical resources to complete tasks. It will provide a helpful snapshot of where your child is when they enter reception, so they can be supported in the most appropriate way.

Following the assessment your child’s teacher will receive a set of statements which provide a narrative description of how your child performed. Schools can choose whether to send these to you directly, but they must provide them to you on your request.

For more information you may want to take a look at this a parent leaflet or you could also ask your child’s teacher for any further information.

End of EYFS Profile

The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile will be completed for your child in the final term of his/her Reception Year. The purpose of this is to inform you about your child’s development and to share information about your child’s attainment with their Year One Teacher.

Your child will be given a grading of ‘Expected’ or ‘Emerging’ in 17 Early Learning Goals. The ELGs can be found in the EYFS statutory framework.

The assessment is based on the teacher’s knowledge of your child and what they can do. You may be asked throughout the year to share any information from home that will support this assessment.

The school will give you a report of your child’s progress, including information from his or her EYFS Profile.

d. Teacher colouring with pre school children

Contact Us

Early Years - Families Information Service

Phone: 0800 587 8042

Email: information@wakefield.gov.uk