A Know How Guide

The EYFS progress check at age two

Contents

Section 1: Introduction............................................................................................ page 2

Section 2: Aims and principles ............................................................................... page 3

Section 3: Assessing in partnership........................................................................ page 8

Section 4: Completing the progress check ........................................................... page 12

Section 5: Providing information to parents .......................................................... page 22

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 Section 1: Introduction
1.1 What is the progress check at age two?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires that parents and carers must be
supplied with a short written summary of their child‟s development in the three prime
learning and development areas of the EYFS: Personal, Social and Emotional
Development; Physical Development; and Communication and Language; when the
child is aged between 24-36 months.

1.2 What is the purpose of this document?

The EYFS sets the standards for development, learning and care of children from
birth to age five. All early years providers are required1 to follow the framework from
September 2012.

This document is intended to support practitioners within early years settings who are
undertaking the EYFS progress check at age two. The progress check has been
introduced to enable earlier identification of development needs so that additional
support can be put into place.

1.3 What should the progress check cover?

The EYFS Framework does not require the progress check to be completed in a
prescribed or standard format. It only specifies that information about a child‟s
development should be provided to parents in the prime areas of learning and
development of the EYFS. This document provides some examples of how
practitioners currently provide information to parents. Its aim is to stimulate ideas for
how practitioners might approach the progress check.

1.4 Development Matters

Development Matters sets out children‟s developmental progression across the
prime and specific areas of learning from birth to five years. It offers helpful material
for practitioners to:

 inform and support their assessment judgements of a child‟s development in

the prime areas
 identify if there are any areas in which a child may be developing at a faster
or slower pace than the expected level of progress for their age
 inform and support their discussions with parents and other professionals
(where relevant).

Resources:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/

1
Unless the Secretary of State has granted an exemption from some/all of the learning and
development requirements

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 Section 2: Aims and principles
2.1 Aims of the progress check at age two
The aims of the progress check are to:

 review a child‟s development in the three prime areas of the EYFS;

 ensure that parents have a clear picture of their child‟s development;
 enable practitioners to understand the child‟s needs and plan activities to
meet them in the setting;
 enable parents to understand the child‟s needs and, with support from
practitioners, enhance development at home;
 note areas where a child is progressing well and identify any areas where
progress is less than expected; and
 describe actions the provider intends to take to address any developmental
concerns (including working with other professionals where appropriate).

2.2 Key principles

The check:

 should be completed by a practitioner who knows the child well and works
directly with them in the setting. This should normally be the child‟s key
person;
 arises from the ongoing observational assessments carried out as part of
everyday practice in the setting;
 is based on skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviour that the child
demonstrates consistently and independently;
 takes account of the views and contributions of parents;
 takes into account the views of other practitioners and, where relevant, other
professionals working with the child;
 enables children to contribute actively to the process.

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 Figure 1. Principles for the progress check

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 2.3 The relationship between ongoing observational assessment
and the progress check
The progress check is underpinned by high quality ongoing, observational
assessment:

This can be shown as a cycle:

Fig 2: Ongoing assessment

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 The progress check can therefore be included in the cycle as follows:

Fig 3: The relationship between the progress check and ongoing assessment

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 2.4 Listening to the voice of the child
All children have a right to be listened to and valued in the setting. Children enjoy
and can become very able at thinking about and assessing their own learning and
development if this is recognised and supported well. They can help to record their
progress, and identify what they have enjoyed or found difficult. Very young children,
and those with speech or other developmental delay or disability may not say
anything or very little verbally, but they will communicate a great deal in other ways.
This might be through gesture, action, body language and signing.

Including children in ongoing assessment

Jack is 2 years and two months old. He was born prematurely, he has some single
words, and his speech is not very clear. He has been at his nursery since he was
one year and three months. He likes to look at the photographs in the learning
journal that nursery keep and share with his family – he is particularly fascinated by
photographs of him as a baby especially the one of him in the paddling pool in the
nursery garden. His key person, Aimee, asked him if he‟d like to include a photo of
him hanging his coat up on his peg at nursery, as he can manage so much for
himself now. He made it very clear that he wanted another photograph in too by
thrusting it close to Aimee and saying „ned, ned!!‟. This had him in a pair of red
wellington boots, the ones he insists are his on wet days in the nursery and refuses
to take off when he comes in.

Resources
Materials to support the process of ongoing assessment in the EYFS are available
at: http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/

Resources to support practice in listening to young children include the „Listening to

young children’ series of leaflets. These are available at:
http://www.ncb.org.uk/ycvn/resources/listening-as-a-way-of-life

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 Section 3: Assessing in partnership
For any assessment of development to be meaningful and useful, a complete picture
of a child should be obtained. This will best be realised when parents, the child, and
all practitioners and professionals who know or have involvement with the child,
participate fully in the assessment process.

3.1 The role of parents

A starting point for all assessment should be an acknowledgement that parents know
their children best. They are their child‟s first and most enduring educators, with in-
depth knowledge of their child‟s, physical, emotional and language development over
time. This knowledge should be reflected in both on-going dialogue and in the
progress check.

The EYFS places a strong emphasis on working with parents as partners, at sections
2.1-2.5 of the framework.

This on-going dialogue or sharing of regular two-way observations on learning and

development with parents, leads to improved cognitive, social and emotional
outcomes for children.

Parents and practitioners should reflect together on what:

 a child likes to do;

 he/she is trying to master or has just learned;
 new words/language structures are emerging; and
 particular interests or patterns in play and exploration are observed at the
moment

Figure 2 Shared knowledge and understanding

From Parents, Early Years and Learning Training materials (NCB, 2006)

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 Parents and practitioners use this shared knowledge and understanding in order to
plan together and think through ideas of how to move the child forward. Learning
opportunities and next steps can be planned for the setting and the home. This
process builds on what parents know and do already with their child, and supports
their confidence and knowledge in how to extend and strengthen the early home
learning environment.

Practitioner and grandparent share observations

Gabi is 2 years, 3 months. Sana, her key person, told her grandma one evening how
she has noticed Gabi being kind to other children in nursery – when a child is upset
she likes to stroke their head and say „sorry‟. Sana also observed how she says
„thank you much‟ a lot and then blows a kiss. Grandma laughed and explained that
blowing a kiss is something her uncle does a lot to her. Grandma asked about a
song they hear her trying to sing at home with pointing – and Sana realised it was
„Wind the bobbin up‟. She promised to write down the words of the song and teach it
to grandma the next day so that she could support Gabi at home.

3.2 Building parental partnerships

All parents are entitled to participate in the assessment process and should be
encouraged to do so. Some will find this more difficult than others. A setting can
support all parents to engage through the establishment of respectful relationships.

Practitioners might like to reflect more deeply on the underpinning principles and
strategies for working with parents more effectively, as part of their ongoing quality
improvement processes. Sources of information and training to support that reflection
are listed in the resources section.

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 Building parental partnerships

Abdi is 2 years and 9 months old and has been attending a pre-school setting for a
few months, three mornings a week. His home language is Somali. His mother
Hafsa has limited English and seems keen for Abdi to attend the setting. She is not
able to speak to the pre-school staff, but sometimes brings a female friend from the
Somali community to act as interpreter. His father, Hanand, has good spoken
English and brings Abdi to the setting some mornings. He has sometimes asked if
Abdi is being taught English at the setting and said that he would like him to speak
English as well as possible.

Maria is Abdi‟s key person. She feels that he has settled well and would like to
arrange a time to talk about the progress check. She arranges for the family to
come in on a morning when Abdi does not normally attend the pre-school, as that is
a day when Hanand works a later shift. Maria speaks to Hafsa via her friend and
asks her what support she would like at the meeting. Hafsa says that she is happy
for Hanand to interpret for her. Maria prepares for the meeting, ensuring that there
are plenty of recent photographs of Abdi within his Learning Journey record. When
Abdi and his parents arrive, she encourages them to spend a little while looking at
the photographs and the ongoing observations in Abdi‟s Learning Journey. Abdi
excitedly points out pictures of him riding a tricycle in the setting‟s outdoor area,
making remarks in Somali to his parents. Maria discusses the comments she has
prepared for the progress check, referring regularly to the photographs in Abdi‟s
Learning Journey. Maria explains that she has no concerns about Abdi‟s
development, as it is appropriate for his age and that she‟d like to know more about
what Abdi likes to do at home. Hanand asks if they should speak more English to
him at home. Maria explains that it is important for Abdi to continue to develop his
home language, so they should continue to speak Somali to him at home. She also
asks if they have any concerns about his language when he is speaking in Somali.
Maria has borrowed a dual-language copy of „Farmer Duck‟, a book they have been
reading at pre-school and asks if they would like to read it to Abdi at home. Abdi
seems excited and begins to put the book into his mother‟s bag. Maria says that
she can give them a copy of the progress check in a couple of days.

3.3 What do parents want from the progress check?

The most useful and valuable summaries will:

 be clear and easy to read;

 be easy to understand, avoiding unfamiliar jargon, acronyms or terminology
(with interpretation and translation available where appropriate);
 present a truthful yet sensitive reflection of what the child can do and their
achievements to date;
 identify areas where the child is progressing at a slower pace than expected;
 recognise parents‟ in-depth knowledge of their child by incorporating their
observations and comments;
 give parents an idea of how their child‟s development will be taken forward in
the setting;

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  provide some suggestions for parents in supporting their child at home; and
 reflect their child‟s individual personality and characteristics.

A parent’s thoughts on the planned progress check

“If I was given a report or document written about my son, I would like the report to
show that the person who has written it really knows him. Of course I know exactly
what he can do when he is at home, because I am watching him and listening to
him every day, but I would want to know what he shows when he isn‟t with me, on
the days when he is at nursery. When I watch him playing I often think about how he
was a tiny baby such a short time ago and all the stages he has gone through to
reach his present stage of development. So I would also want to feel that the report
really recognises and celebrates all that he can do and, most importantly, shows
something of his true self, of his uniqueness and all the wonderfully funny,
surprising and exciting things he does each day.”

Mother of a two year old boy

Resources
Principles for engaging with families: A framework for local authorities and national
organisations to evaluate and improve engagement with families produced by the
Early Learning Partnership Engagement Group is a free, downloadable resource. It
might provide a useful starting point for reflection.
http://staging.ncb.baigentpreview.com/media/236258/engaging_with_families.pdf

Material to share with parents, to support their understanding of the EYFS and how
children learn through purposeful activity and play across all areas of development is
available at http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/

Further resource material, support and training opportunities can be accessed at:

http://www.pengreen.org/

http://www.peal.org.uk/

http://www.peep.org.uk/

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 Section 4: Completing the progress check
4.1 It will be helpful for practitioners to:
 review and reflect upon each child‟s development referring to the
Development Matters materials as necessary;
 identify if they have any specific training needs or concerns around carrying
out the progress check;
 speak to the parents of each child, invite their contributions and arrange the
most appropriate time to talk;
 prepare for discussion with parents possibly drafting some comments or
making initial judgments for the progress check;
 seek parents‟ views on their child‟s development; and
 seek support from their setting leader or manager if/as appropriate

Practical support from a setting manager

Alex is the key person for Mia, 26 months. She has been at Little Oaks day nursery
for about a year and has settled well. Sharmi is the manager of Little Oaks.

Alex speaks to Mia‟s father, Greg and they decide that they will meet on a
Wednesday afternoon. Greg and Uma, Mia‟s parents, come to the nursery early
before collecting Mia. Sharmi arranges to take Alex‟s place in the toddler room while
Alex, Greg and Uma meet in Sharmi‟s office.

Afterwards Sharmi and Alex chat briefly about how the meeting went and agree any
actions that need to be taken. Alex finalises the progress check, adds a copy to
Mia‟s „Learning Journey‟ and prints out a copy to give to Uma when she brings Mia
on Thursday.

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 Figure 4. Suggested process for practitioners completing the progress check

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 4.2 Childminders
Childminders work in a home environment, without the support of a manager.
However, if they need support in preparing the progress check, or making referrals
for children, they can contact their local authority childminding support officer,
children‟s centre or access their local childminding network.

A childminder and parental partnership

Terri has been working as a childminder for a number of years. She cares for Luka,
27 months. Luka recently had quite a bit of absence due to coughs and colds, so
Terri and his mother Allison decided to hold off on doing the progress check until
Luka had settled back in. Allison already has a good idea of what Luka is doing in
the setting as Terri often sends text messages to Allison if Luka does something
new during the day and they have a short catch-up most days at collection time.
Allison regularly contributes photographs and comments for Luka‟s record book.
Allison works different days each week, so once she knows her shift pattern, Terri
arranges to meet on a day when her husband can be home early to look after her
own son, Sam, aged 5. Allison also brings her mother, Judy, to look after Luka while
she chats with Terri. They hold the meeting in the kitchen while Luka and Judy try
out some new toys that he and Terri borrowed from the Children‟s Centre toy library
that morning.

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 4.3 Timing
The EYFS requires that providers carry out a progress check when a child is age two.

The following factors may determine the timing of the progress check:

 The child’s entry point to the setting. Settings should consider a settling in
period for a child to enable their key person and other practitioners to build up
good knowledge of that child‟s development, abilities and interests before
completing the progress check.

 Individual needs and circumstances. If a child has a period of ill health or a

significant event in their family (e.g. family breakdown, bereavement or the
arrival of a sibling) it may be appropriate to delay the check.

 Parental preferences. Practitioners should agree with parents when is the

best time to provide the summary. Where possible, early years settings
should consider carrying out the progress check in time for parents to share it
with the health visitor at the two year old health and development review.

 Pattern of attendance. If a child has a period of non-attendance or irregular

attendance then that may affect the timing of the review. Likewise, a
practitioner may find it takes longer to build up a clear picture of a child who
attends just a few hours per week.

4.4 Information sharing and parental consent

The progress check is a statutory requirement of the EYFS. Providers should seek
the consent of parents to share information from the check directly with relevant
professionals. Providers must have written policies and procedures in place to
safeguard children, in line with the guidance and requirements of the relevant Local
Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).

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 First steps in building parental partnership

Jackson is 2 years and 3 months old. He began attending the Children‟s Centre at
the beginning of the term after his second birthday, as his family met the eligibility
criteria for the extended free entitlement to early education at age two. His mother,
Charlie, had Jackson shortly after leaving school. Charlie never seems very
comfortable talking to the practitioners in the toddler room and prefers to hurry
away as soon as possible. Jackson has settled in well, so his key person Ruth
approaches Charlie to talk about the check and arrange a time to meet. Charlie
looks visibly nervous and says that she would rather Jackson wasn‟t assessed, as
she doesn‟t feel he can do that much yet and doesn‟t want him to get a bad report
while he is still so young.

Ruth chats with her setting manager, Liz, about how best to approach the check
and meeting with Charlie and they agree that they first need to build the
partnership with Charlie and her confidence in the setting. Ruth invites Charlie to
come to collect Jackson slightly early the next day and watch him playing in the
toddler room. She is reluctant, but agrees to come. The next day Charlie watches
Jackson, through an internal window, as he explores a tray of dry sand with Ruth,
rubbing it with his hands and drawing large circular shapes. She looks interested
and mentions that he makes similar marks whenever he spills food on the table at
home. Liz explains these marks are the first steps towards early writing and that
these experiences, whether at home or at nursery, are very valuable for Jackson.
She encourages Charlie to bring in photographs of the marks he makes at home
and loans the family a pack of mark-making materials.

Over the next couple of weeks Charlie shows Ruth some photographs of Jackson
playing at home and brings in some of his mark-making which Ruth incorporates
into Jackson‟s Learning Journey. Charlie begins to open up to the nursery
practitioners, staying for occasional chats at the beginning and end of sessions.
She is much more receptive when Ruth raises the idea of the progress check and
agrees to attend a meeting. Charlie is very pleased to hear that Ruth and Liz feel
he is making good progress and that there are no areas of concern. She enjoys
talking about some of the comments in his Learning Journey, commenting that he
is „…just like that at home.‟ At the meeting Ruth arranges to lend Charlie some
books that Jackson has been enjoying at nursery and gives her some suggestions
on how to share them with him at home. Charlie opens up and says that she was
never very good at reading at school but really wants things to be better for her
son. Ruth explains that some of the simple things she can do with Jackson at
home, such as reading stories or drawing, will really help his progress later on at
school. She encourages Charlie to talk as much as possible to the Children‟s
Centre staff, as it is by working together that they can achieve the best for
Jackson.

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 4.5 Children attending more than one setting or changing settings
In the case of children who are attending more than one setting, the progress check
would normally be carried out by the child‟s key person at the setting where the child
spends the greatest amount of time each week. However, the setting carrying out the
progress check should consider whether it would be helpful to get the views of other
practitioners working with the child at the other setting or settings.

If a child moves between settings between 24 and 36 months, leaders and managers
of the respective settings should agree which provider will complete the check. It will
usually be the setting where the child has spent the most time to date.

A child attending a childminder and a playgroup setting

Paola has been going to her childminder, Harpreet, since she was ten months old.
She began attending Harpreet‟s setting for three days a week and was recently
joined by her baby sister. Paola is now 2 years and 6 months old and has recently
started attending a playgroup setting for 3 hours a day, Monday to Wednesday.
She will be dropped off and collected at the playgroup by Harpreet, as Paola‟s
mother Maria works four days a week. Harpreet will continue to care for Paola on
Monday to Wednesday afternoons and all day on Thursday.

The playgroup practitioners and Harpreet chat on a regular basis about Paola‟s
learning and development. Harpreet also passes on any information from Maria
about what Paola might be doing at home. Harpreet chats to the playgroup staff
and they agree that, as Paola spends the majority of her time with Harpreet, she
will produce the progress check and discuss it with Maria. Maria is happy with this
arrangement., Harpreet arranges an opportunity to look through the playgroup‟s
ongoing records of Paola‟s learning and development and have a chat to Paola‟s
key person at the playgroup, in order to inform the review. She has been
maintaining her own „Learning Journey‟ for Paola since she joined her setting, to
which Maria regularly contributes notes and photographs.

Harpreet has a meeting with Maria and prepares the progress check. She provides
Maria with a copy and gives a copy to Paola‟s key person at the playgroup, to be
added to Paola‟s learning and development records.

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 4.6 What should practitioners do if a child appears to be
developing at a slower pace in any area?
Every child is unique and their developmental progression from birth to five across
the prime and specific areas of learning will follow an individual path.

At any one point in time a child may appear to be more developed in some areas
than in others. Likewise, periods of rapid development in one area may be followed
by a slower rate of development for a period of time.

It is therefore very important that practitioners are sensitive to these factors if they
observe that a child appears to be developing at a slower pace in any area. This
does not necessarily point to a deficit or specific need in that area, but may simply be
the developmental status of the child at that point in time. Practitioners will find it
helpful to observe further and gather additional evidence alongside seeking further
support from their setting manager, support officer and/or SENCO.

Key Guidelines:

 In order to prepare for discussion with parents, it is important that

practitioners review and reflect upon each child‟s development.
 If there are any concerns about a child‟s development then practitioners and
parents should consider all contextual information about a child before taking
any further steps. For example, has the arrival of a new sibling in the family
caused a child to regress to younger patterns of behaviour? Are there signs
that the child is about to make a developmental leap in this area?
 If any concerns are raised, it should be on the basis of ongoing assessment
observations of the child in a range of contexts in the setting and preferably
also by the parents observing the child at home.
 Individual practitioners should not attempt to identify a Special Educational
Need (SEN) solely on the basis of their observations of the child within the
setting. Identification must only be made by professionals or practitioners with
specialist training.
 The progress check can be a useful part of the early identification process.
Any concerns about a child‟s development should be discussed with the
setting leader or manager and/or the setting‟s SENCO. Childminders should
contact their childminding network or local authority officer for support.
 If there are concerns about a child‟s development in any particular area then
a practitioner and the child‟s parents (in discussion with the setting leader,
manager, childminding officer and/or the SENCO) may agree to draw up a
plan to meet the child‟s needs within the setting and at home, then carry out a
further review at an agreed date. This may include the need to work with
other agencies.

Resources to support practitioners‟ knowledge and understanding of child

development are listed at the end of this section.

Additional support for a child may come from professionals working within local
children‟s services teams, the health service or, in some cases, voluntary
organisations.

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 A parent with concerns about their child

Theo began settling with Claire, a childminder, at about 22 months. He initially

found the transition very difficult as his father, Marc, had cared for him at home
since he was six months old but is now starting a part-time training course. Theo‟s
mother, Sarah, is temporarily working abroad. However, he has now settled in
and, as he is coming up to two years old, Claire begins to think about the best time
to carry out the progress check . In her local area Health Visitors carry out Healthy
Child Programme reviews shortly after a child‟s second birthday, so she would like
the report to be available for Marc to pass on if needed.

Claire mentions the progress check to Marc, who agrees that it would be good to
be able to share this with the Health Visitor. He mentions to Claire that he had
been having some concerns about Theo‟s language development, as he wasn‟t
yet using two and three word phrases. He had noticed that some other children of
the same age were already speaking more. Theo was using just a few single
words and would often point and shriek to ask for things he wanted, getting very
frustrated if he couldn‟t be understood. Claire and Marc agree to set a date for a
review meeting in a month‟s time, just after Theo is 25 months old, and decide that
they will both observe Theo‟s language carefully in the meantime. When they
come together for the meeting Marc seems very pleased and says that for the last
few meals Theo has pointed to his cup and said “More water.” Claire and Marc
have both noticed that Theo is using many more words, some easy for others to
understand and lots of consistent made-up names for objects. They agree that the
report will reflect that using two-word phrases is a very new development, and they
are pleased with this progress in his speech and language. The progress check
also notes that Theo is currently apart from his mother and that he is now
attending a setting for the first time. Marc discusses the check at Theo‟s Healthy
Child Programme review and the Health Visitor agrees that they will take no
further action at present, but that Claire and Marc should stay aware of his speech
and language development. Over the next couple of months Theo begins using
increasing numbers of two and three word phrases.

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 4.7 Preparing the progress check for a child with identified
disabilities or special educational need
All children are entitled to the full provision of the EYFS, regardless of any identified
disability or special educational needs.

If a practitioner is preparing a progress check for a child with an identified disability,

medical need or special educational need then practitioners may wish to think about
the following:

 If the child is already being supported by other professionals then the

practitioner should agree with parents how the views and contributions of
those professionals can be sought.
 In some circumstances, it may be appropriate to invite other professionals
working directly with the child to attend any review meeting. e.g. portage
home visitor. Other professionals should also be involved in joint planning for
future support.
 It is likely to be useful for the SENCO of the setting to be present at a review
meeting.
 It may be particularly productive to give additional focus to incorporating the
views of parents when carrying out assessments for children with an
identified disability, medical or special education need. Parents of children
with profound and complex needs often build up significant expertise in and
understanding of their child‟s development.
 As for all children, the progress check should truthfully and sensitively record
the development of any child with an identified disability, medical need or
special educational need. The focus should be on what the child can do, their
unique and individual characteristics and their development to date, rather
than describing their development in terms of their need or disability.
 In the process of ongoing assessment, practitioners should make use of all
available observational evidence according to the child‟s individual needs and
characteristics e.g. recording the child‟s movements or non-verbal
communication.
 Practitioners should make leaders and managers aware if they feel they could
benefit from additional training in providing for and carrying out assessment
for children with identified disabilities, medical needs or special educational
needs.
 If a child has an identified condition, disability or impairment, Early Support
materials are available to help improve communication and co-ordination
between professionals, practitioners and families. These include a Family file
in which parents are encouraged to record information about their child, the
appointments they have and information they gather from professionals. A
child‟s setting may be included in the sharing of this information, which will
help to inform the progress check and future plans for support. Parents may
also use the Early Support Developmental Journals to track their child‟s
progress, so practitioners might also find it helpful to refer to this document. A
copy of the completed progress check should be placed in the Family file to
help inform future plans for support.

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 A child receiving multi-agency support

David was referred to Early Support at the age of 10 months on the

recommendation of a consultant paediatrician. David has a four limb motor
disorder and a number of professionals have been involved in his care since his
birth. There are regular multi-agency meetings where professionals come together,
an Early Support Family Service Plan (FSP) is completed as a record of the
discussions, and the family‟s concerns and questions are included as action
points, making it clear who will be responsible and how these will be followed up.
There are also regular play sessions with David, his mother Christa and father
Jason. During these sessions David‟s development is reviewed and goals (called
next steps) are agreed.

David is now two years and three months old and he is cared for part-time by a
specialist childminder, Hazel. He loves music, singing, sensory activities and
listening to stories. Hazel works closely with the team around David, his family and
his Early Support key worker Neelam, a teacher from the Portage team. Neelam
provides emotional and practical support where needed and helps the family to co-
ordinate David‟s care and navigate their way through the support systems
available. Hazel attends the multi-agency meetings where she contributes her view
of David. She also observes and listens to the therapists, paediatrician and
Neelam and includes the activities, ideas and equipment they suggest when she is
looking after him.

Hazel, Christa and Jason talk through David‟s progress regularly and decide to
complete the progress check with his Early Support key worker Neelam. They
have much recorded already to draw on in the FSP document, his Learning
Journey and photograph book that Hazel shares with his family regularly, and the
Portage development checklist. Once the progress check is completed a copy is
added to his Early Support Family file so that it can be easily shared with other
professionals.

Resources
http://www.education.gov.uk

Early Support http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/sen/earlysupport

Further information on integrated working can be found at

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/strategy/integratedworking

Social and Emotional Aspects of Development -

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/tag/emotional

Every Child a Talker http://www/foundationyears.org.uk/2011/10/every-child-a-talker-

child-monitoring-tool/

I CAN, The Children‟s Communication Charity http://www/ican.org.uk/resources/

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21 The progress check at age two
 Section 5: Providing information to parents
The EYFS framework does not require the use of any prescribed format for the
written summary of the progress check.

This section contains three written examples that providers might wish to consider or
adapt. They illustrate a range of approaches already taken by practitioners when
providing information to parents. They are not intended to prescribe how information
from the progress check should be presented.

The EYFS requires settings to report on a child‟s progress at 24 to 36 months in the

prime areas of learning and development.

Example 1 EYFS Individual Summary

Example 2 A Unique Child

Example 3 All About Me

Individual Assessment and Planning Sheet

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22 The progress check at age two
 Example 1: EYFS Individual Summary
A description of a child‟s progress is outlined based on observations of where a child
is judged to be in their development at a particular point in time. The practitioner
assesses the stage of development, based on a best-fit model, referring to the
statements in Development Matters. The child‟s particular interests are noted and
next steps for learning are identified. The assessments are based on the
practitioner‟s knowledge of the child, in partnership with parents, and parents are
invited and encouraged to contribute their observations and thoughts. This format,
has been adapted for this document to reflect the revised EYFS (DfE, 2012), and is
used by practitioners in Trafford to report to parents on two or three occasions each
year.

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23 The progress check at age two
 EYFS Individual Summary

Child‟s Name: Rhianna S DOB: Age : 2 years 2 months (26 months) Date:

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

Self-confidence & Self awareness Managing Feelings & behaviour Making relationships

Rhianna has settled well into Rainbow room and is a Settles well each day – looks for Maureen but confident with other She is secure with both adults and children in the
confident, chatty little girl. staff – comes for help when needed. room, enjoying great friendships with both.

Shows affection to other children

Developmental Stage: Developmental Stage: Developmental Stage:

22-36 months 22-36 months 22-36 months

Communication & Language

Listening and attention Understanding Speaking

Rhianna likes singing and rhyme time. She enjoys She appears to understand everything we say to her, „We‟re going Rhianna is mostly using single words to
the instruments and makes different sounds by outside‟ or „Let‟s go in the garden, and then let‟s find the bats and communicate.
banging and shaking them, she will join in with balls”. The garden is her favourite place.
familiar songs and rhymes
Rhianna really enjoys looking at the books, pointing at the pictures
She shows great interest in the sand and water, and chatting to herself as she does this. She can point out
spending a long time filling and emptying the pictures in a book or answer questions – e.g. who is crying, where
containers. She really concentrates when doing this is that?
and when she is sorting and tidying toys into the
correct boxes, she checks the photos on the front of
the box carefully.

Developmental Stage: Developmental Stage: Developmental Stage:

22-36 months 22-36 months 8-20 months

Continued on next page >

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24 The progress check at age two
 Physical Development

Moving & Handling Health & Self-care

Rhianna uses her gross motor skills to great advantage: She goes to the peg now to get her fleece when going outside. She is starting to try and help put on her own shoes
she runs round the garden, is able to climb the balancing and coat and is also aware about washing hands after nappy change. Since being in the Rainbow room Rhianna
beam, uses the trikes and slides. She is very steady understands and anticipates when it‟s a meal time or rest time.
when using these and has good hand-eye co-ordination.
Rhianna continues to gain skills in and enjoy using tools
for a particular purpose whether it‟s painting, gluing and
sticking or cutting the play dough. She enjoys playing
with the construction bricks building towers and knocking
them down

Developmental Stage: Developmental Stage:

22-36 months 22-36 months

Is the child meeting developmental milestones:

We will ask the SLT on her next visit to review Rhianna‟s progress, and suggest any additional support needs

What Next?

Continue to promote speech and language development through conversation (listening and responding), songs/rhymes and books with repetitive stories and phrases
Introduce numbers into songs and everyday routine e.g. when doing up buttons, putting toys away.

Parents’ comments including child’s interests:

Both me & her Dad are extremely pleased with Rhianna‟s progress. Happy that we are updated regularly, she really enjoys nursery and her communication skills have come on .
She loves Maureen and her classmates and we are really happy how Rhianna has settled in the new room. This puts me and her Dad at total ease when dropping her off.

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25 The progress check at age two
 Discussing concerns and seeking support

When Rhianna‟s mum (Hannah) and Maureen (Rhianna‟s key person) meet to
discuss the review, they talk through the three prime areas together. Maureen
hasn‟t known the family very long although she has been on a home visit, and
Hannah comes in and chats to her most days when she picks Rhianna up.
Maureen spends some time talking about how Rhianna is at nursery, and asks
Hannah to look through the photo diary she has started for her – there are quite a
few photographs in there already. She explains more about this to Hannah, to
encourage her to share things from home too and include them in the book, so
that they can see how Rhianna changes together and discuss how to help her.
They both feel that Rhianna has settled in really well. Maureen explains how
interested Rhianna is in the other children, and how she has favourite play
activities that really absorb her, and seems to be very comfortable with the nursery
routines. She is trying to do more and more things for herself and Hannah says
she‟s noticed that at home too: Rhianna will push her arms through sleeves when
she is being dressed or tug at the zip of her jacket when they come in from
outside. She seems to have a good understanding of things said to her, for
example simple instructions to get a toy or book. They both agree that Rhianna
speaks only in single words as yet and uses a fairly restricted range of identifiable
words. Maureen and Hannah talk this through a little, and Hannah says that she
isn‟t worried.

Maureen explains to Hannah that the review is a chance to talk things like this
through. She feels that Rhianna‟s understanding is good but she would like to get
a little more advice on expressive language development as she feels Rhianna
could benefit from some support in this. Hannah explains that she would probably
expect, by 26 months that Rhianna would be beginning to put two or more words
together. She explains that she knows there is a stay-and-play session where a
speech and language therapist (SLT) attends once a fortnight at the children‟s
centre nearby, and that they could ask for some advice there.

Maureen talks it over with her manager again, and they agree that Maureen
should go with Hannah to the stay-and-play session to give her some support. The
SLT is very helpful and spends some time playing with Hannah and Rhianna,
observing development as she does so. She gives some ideas to Maureen and
Hannah – and models listening closely, repeating what Rhianna says and
extending her single words into two or three word phrases and sentences in reply.
She gives Hannah and Maureen a booklet with advice, and suggests they make a
referral for an assessment. She reassures Hannah, saying that she feels it is
useful to have an early referral, even if Rhianna makes good progress before she
is fully assessed. Maureen agrees that she will also go on reviewing Rhianna‟s
progress together with Hannah.

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26 The progress check at age two
 Example 2: A Unique Child
Practitioners using this format make assessments based on knowledge gathered
from observing the child over time and across a range of contexts. Discussions with
parents feed into the summary, which is completed by the key person. In the section
headed „A Child Learning‟, brief comments are recorded reflecting the child‟s
individuality in how they approach their learning – particular interests which arouse
their curiosity, preferred ways of learning, and so on.

The areas of learning and development are completed using Development Matters
as a prompt to make best-fit judgements of the stage/age band which best describes
the child‟s current development and the band where the child is mainly working is
highlighted. The key person also records a few comments which reflect the child‟s
individuality in each area of learning. The „Next Steps‟ section is used to record
suggestions for supporting and extending the child‟s learning and development, both
in the setting and at home. Consistency of judgements is achieved through staff
discussing samples together, and setting leaders holding responsibility for ensuring
consistent and reliable summaries are made. This Learning Record has been
adapted for the new EYFS requirements

A practitioner shares her experience of writing the summary

When we write the progress summary on our key children, I look at the child‟s
learning journey and back at any other summaries, and then I think and write notes
down about how I think the child is now at nursery. My manager is really helpful and
she says that what she wants to see is how much we know about the child – and
that if we read the summary out loud, that everyone would recognise the child
straight away. That makes it easier, because you just write what you know about the
child day by day, what they like to do best, what you‟ve heard them say, and how
they have changed. I give the notes to my manager, and she sorts it and puts them
into the document on the computer. She gives that back to me to read through and
asks me what I think, and suggests a few more things. She has run a staff meeting
explaining how to look at the development statements and think about the levels the
child is at – and I‟m beginning to get more confident in thinking that through now
too.

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27 The progress check at age two
 ‘Know How’
28 The progress check at age two
 Example 3: All About Me
Practitioners provide regular written summaries of development for parents using All
About Me. These are added to the child‟s on-going record file (with photographs,
examples of children‟s recording and creations, short notes and observations). The
summaries and next steps are discussed with parents and their views and comments
included. The key person and parent plan opportunities and experiences to match a
child‟s needs and interests together – and ideas are included in the „at home I could‟
box.

This format has been adapted from a current model used by many settings in
Thurrock to write summaries of development every 10-12 weeks. Childminders
sometimes choose to use an alternative – Individual Assessment and Planning
Sheet. To support practitioners the local authority run an „introduction to the EYFS
course‟ every term for schools and settings and a specific „observations, assessment
and planning‟ training session for childminders.

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29 The progress check at age two
 All About Me
My name is My date of birth is
Daniella

My key person is My parents/carers names are

Anna

My home language is My cultural identity is

English Black African

My photo

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30 The progress check at age two
 My current interests and achievements
I am 2 years, 8 months

My family has noticed that I am My key person has noticed that I

interested in am interested in
Playing with dollies, always asking to paint
Caring for and playing with dolls and
Counting the home corner– love to paint

Playing with dollies,

always asking to paint,
Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Communication and Language:
counting
I play alongside others – I especially enjoy the home corner and
pushing the dolls in the pram. I am confident with my key
person, Anna, and with other staff. I like joining in and I communicate my needs and feelings. I can ask for a snack
helping with what adults are doing – sweeping the sand, setting and ask to go to the toilet. I talk as I play - building
and clearing the table. I show that I care about other vertical towers as high as I can ‘Getting bigger, hooray!’
children – e.g. I rub their arms gently if they are crying. I ask questions e.g. What number is it? I answer questions
e.g. Who will have the next turn?

Expressive Arts and Design: Physical Development:

I like using paint and glue. I paint I can use the see-saw and choose to play
lots of vertical lines in on this a lot. I can ride a trike with
different colours - and I good control. I am learning to thread
really enjoy dancing, ring and complete puzzles. I am learning to
games and using musical take myself to the toilet.
instruments.

Name

This is what I can do

Knowledge and Understanding of Maths:

the World:
I touch objects with my finger and say
number names – I’m beginning to
I am interested in painting and colours order. I often point to
- I talk about cold weather, and numbers in the nursery and
night and day. garden.

Literacy:
I look at books for a short time on my own, I
like lift the flap books. I like to share
books with Anna one-to-one – and I join in
with some words – my favourites are It’s Mine
and Spot says Goodnight

This is what my family feels about my progress:

She is counting more and more – although she gets the numbers mixed up. She is using more words and her speech is better.

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31 The progress check at age two
 Experiences and Opportunities to Support my
Development and Learning

Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Communication and Language:

Talking whilst using craft table, painting, cooking – describe
Increase range of materials to broaden and extend role-play – market, textures, changes, smells - and in garden to express movement.
shopping, puppets
Stories and rhymes – 3 bears, 3 goats.
Encourage putting on own coat; hanging up coat and clothes

Expressive Arts and Physical Development:

Design My next steps are:
Cooking activities, mixing,
feeling, smelling,
 Combine talk, movement and materials Using balance blocks to create
simple structures
 Further develop independence skills
Provide different materials for  Counting in order Sponge blocks, wooden blocks,
lego
painting – and mixing
colours  Join in more with stories
Washing hands after toilet,
before eating, discussing food at
snack and meal times

Knowledge and Understanding of

Maths
the World:
Ball games and number activities –

Literacy
Visit to market, shopping counting in rhymes and stories

Small world play, dolls house, zoo, town blocks,

train track inside and out Share more books with home – Dear
Zoo, more Spot books, 3 bears. Re-
tell stories with props. Encourage
joining in and talking about the
story

At home I could: Encourage her to put on her coat and other clothes, count cars and things she is
interested in on way to pre-school, share books with her

Signed: ……………………………………………………………………………….. Date: …………………………………………………………………

Name of Parent/Carer

Signed: ……………………………………………………………………………….. Date: …………………………………………………………………

Name of Key Person

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32 The progress check at age two
Signed: ……………………………………………………………………………….. Date: …………………………………………………………………

Name of Manager
 Example 3: Alternative format

Individual Assessment and

Planning Sheet

Date:___________________
My Name is: Sammy I am: 2 years, 2 months
I can do:
Sammy likes to play alongside other children in the setting – he is happy and has a
loving relationship with me and the other children. He enjoys sharing books with me.
He consistently joins two words together and communicates his desire for food and
drink. He likes to play with toys that turn on and off. He climbs confidently on play
equipment in the park – really loves to play outside. He likes to sing and is beginning
to take part in pretend play. When asked who he likes to play with, he says „Adi, Josh‟.
My next steps are:
To continue to develop self care skills and language

....Heather and mummy ........................ are going to help me by:

Encouraging me to wash and dry my hands – using a step up to the sink
And get me to help with dressing/ undressing a bit more
Talk to me about what I am doing as I do it
Signature of Childminder:

Signature of Parent:
Parents‟ comments:
Sammy has a great time with you, and you encourage his learning and development
brilliantly. He has made massive strides in his speech since starting here. He is
always really excited to come to your house. We are extremely happy with the care
and attention he receives from you.

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33 The progress check at age two
 Sammy’s childminder, Heather, shares her experience of writing the
summary:

I couldn‟t get to the training that was put on to help us in how to write the learning
summary, so Jenny, my support worker, arranged to talk to me one-to-one. We
spent a couple of hours together. I really hate paperwork and Jenny knows that
only too well! Anyway, she talked through how I should just think about what I know
about the child and look through the diary I keep with photographs showing what
the children do when they‟re with me. It‟s then a case of thinking what headings my
comments go under, and looking at the Development Matters guidance and
deciding which of those statements best match the child. We did one together, and
it wasn‟t so bad because I‟ve been looking after Sammy three days a week since
he was 8 months old, so I know him very well, and his mum (Cassie) and I talk
about him all the time, and we don‟t have any worries about him. I showed the
summary to Cassie and she was happy about it. She took it home and talked to
Sammy‟s dad, and they added their comments.

© Crown copyright 2012

You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or
medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or e-mail:
[email protected].

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain
permission from the copyright holders concerned.

Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at [email protected]

This document is also available from our website at

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34 The progress check at age two