Early Years Foundation Stage Profile

Children are assessed at the end of their Reception Year. The data needs to be submitted to their Local Authority by the end of August, although LAs may have their own, earlier, internal deadline.

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Early Learning Goals

There are 17 different Early Learning Goals (ELGs) against which your children are assessed as either:

1. Emerging,

2. Expected, or

3. Exceeding.

If a teacher records an ‘A’ for absent for any of the 17 ELGs, that pupil is excluded entirely from any calculations.

The first 8 ELGs are called “Prime areas of learning”

The remaining 9 ELGs are called “Specific areas of learning”.

The 17 ELGs are:

Good Level of Development

The first 12 ELGs (all the Prime areas of learning, plus the Literacy and Mathematics ELGs) are included in the calculation of a “Good Level of Development” (GLD).

A child has achieved a Good Level of Development if they have an Expected or Exceeding in all of the first 12 ELGs. If there is even one “Emerging” assessment then, regardless of any other results, that pupil has been deemed not to have achieved a “Good Level of Development”.

In calculating whether a pupil has achieved a GLD, the last 5 ELGs do not count. So it is possible for a pupil to get Expected in the first 12 ELGs and Emerging in the last 5 ELGs, and still have achieved a Good Level of Development.

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EYFSP Measures

There are 3 main measures regarding EYFSP:

  • Average Total Point Score
  • Percentage achieving at least Expected in all 17 ELGs, and
  • Percentage attaining a Good Level of Development.

Total Point Score

A child’s Total Point Score is calculated by adding the points for each pupil from each of the 17 ELGs, either 1 for Emerging, 2 for Expected and 3 for Exceeding.

Each child’s Total Point Score is then averaged together to create a school, LA or National Average Total Point Score (ATPS). Any pupils with at least one A (Absent) in their results will not be included.

The ATPS for each child will range from 17 (Emerging in every ELG) to 51 (Exceeding in every ELG). Typically, around a quarter of children will receive 34 points (on average, achieving “Expected” in every ELG).

Between 2015 and 2018, the National Average for this measure has been very stable, between 34.3 and 34.6 points. Girls score around 2.3 points more than boys.

Percentage of pupils achieving at least expected in all 17 ELGs

A child will achieve this measure if they have an Expected or Exceeding in every ELG.

A school’s, LA’s or National’s results will be the percentage of pupils who have achieved this (excluding any pupils who have an “A” for Absent in any ELG).

Typically, the National Average for this measure is around 1.5%-2% below the Good Level of Development measure.

  • The National Average in 2017/18 for this measure is 70.2%.
  • Girls typically achieve this 14%-16% more often than boys.
  • In 2017/18 77.5% of girls achieved this measure, compared to 63.2% of boys.

Percentage of children achieving a Good Level of Development

A child will achieve this measure if they have an Expected or Exceeding in the first 12 ELGs.

Just like other measures, a school’s, LA’s or National’s results will be the percentage of children who have achieved this, excluding any Absent pupils.

Typically, the National Average for this measure increases by around 1.5-2% per year.

  • In 2017/18 the National Average was 71.6%.
  • Girls typically achieve 13%-16% more than boys.
  • In 2017/18 78.4% of girls achieved this, compared to 65.0% of boys.

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DfE Releases of Data

The DfE releases EYFSP data, with both National and Local Authority averages, on the public gov.uk website, with the initial release in late October.

Data is not released publicly per school, although individual schools may publish them on their website.

It is typically incorporated into the Analyse School Performance (ASP) service and Ofsted’s Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR) data in December or January.


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The future of EYFSP

The DfE intends to change the EYFSP.

It conducted three different pilots in 2015 for a replacement, with a view to ending the current EYFSP in 2016/17, but the pilots were not successful enough and the current EYFSP remained in place.

The DfE is undertaking pilots regarding an update to the EYFSP, but no definite decision has been announced. However, the earliest any new updates could be introduced would be in the academic year 2020/21.

Points to Ponder

How does your school moderate your Early Years baseline entry data?

  • Is this secure? Based on sound evidence?

Were children well enough prepared for year 1 (did enough achieve a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile?)

  • How well did they do in literacy, mathematics, and communication and language?
  • Did FSM (Free School Meals) children achieve as well as non‐FSM children nationally?
  • If not, what approaches are in place now to raise attainment of FSM children?

What progress do children make in EYFS?

  • What does this look like for each area of the EYFS curriculum?

At the end of EYFS, what is attainment like? If children enter below average, are they line with national average by the time they enter Year 1?

  • Alternatively, if they enter in line with age related expectations, are they above national by the time they enter Year 1?

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