The Early Years Foundation Stage: nursery and reception
1.
A new Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage commenced
in September 2012 and the previous six areas of learning became seven. At the
end of the Reception Year, children are assessed in relation to the revised early
learning goals against three levels. These are: ‘meeting expected levels of
development’, ‘exceeding expected levels’ or ‘not yet reaching expected levels
(‘emerging’)’. The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile will not reflect the new
seven areas for learning, or the three levels, until July 2013. Children in the
Reception Year in 2012-13 should be working across the seven areas of
learning from September 2012, although guidance for assessing these areas
was not made available to schools until late in the autumn term 2012.
Inspectors should take this into account when evaluating children’s
achievement.
2.
Inspectors should familiarise themselves with the new ‘Development matters1’
and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’2.
3.
The Statutory Framework encourages early years settings to use ‘Development
Matters’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage ‘as a guide to making best-fit
judgements about whether a child is showing typical development for their age,
may be at risk of delay or is ahead for their age.’ Inspectors should discuss with
the school the proportions of children working within the age-related bands of
‘Development Matters’ when making a professional judgement about children’s
attainment when they start school. There are no national data for attainment
on entry and no prescribed methods of assessing children when they start
school. Inspectors should avoid using the terms ‘average’ and ‘standards’ as
there is no ‘national average’ for three- and four-year-olds on entry to nursery
and reception.
4.
If a substantial number of new children start school in reception or leave after
nursery (age four), evaluate attainment on entry to reception as well as to the
nursery. Also take into account children who enter reception part-way through
the year. If many children enter reception without pre-school experience, this
might mean that attainment on entry at this point is lower than, or similar to,
the expected attainment on entry to nursery (at age three). Check
arrangements for ‘staggered entry’ and part- and full-time attendance, as the
amount of time spent in school may affect both attainment and progress.
Attainment on entry to nursery at age three
5.
Most3 children are likely to be working within the ‘Development Matters’ band
for 30–50 months, having shown competence in the preceding band for 22–36
1
Development Matters, Department for Education (DfE), 2012;
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/development%20matters%20in%20the%20eyfs.pdf.
2
Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE, 2012;
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/e/eyfs%20statutory%20framework%20march%20201
2.pdf.
Subsidiary guidance
January 2013, No. 110166
1
months. This may be referred to as the age-related expectation at the
beginning of nursery. Attainment on entry is likely to be below age-related
expectations where a substantial proportion4 of children in a school do not
demonstrate competence in the 22–36 month band.
Attainment on entry to reception at age four
6.
3
4
Most children are likely to demonstrate some of the skills, knowledge and
understanding described by the development statements in the ‘Development
Matters’ band for 40–60+ months, in addition to those in the preceding band
for 30–50 months. This may be referred to as the age-related expectation at
the beginning of reception. Attainment on entry is likely to be below agerelated expectations where a substantial proportion of children in a school do
not demonstrate competence in the 30–50 month band. The statutory early
learning goals establish national expectations for most children to reach by the
end of Reception Year.
‘Most’ means the majority of or nearly all children. Ofsted’s definition of ‘most’ is 80–96%.
‘Substantial proportion’ means more than the 20% that might be outside the definition of ‘most’.
2
Subsidiary guidance
January 2013, No. 110166