October 2013 EY Team Julie Briant

Defining a Good Level of Development.

From 2013, children will be defined as having reached a ‘Good Level of Development’ at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage if they achieve at least the expected level in:

  • The early learning goals in the prime areas of learning (personal, social and emotional development: physical development; and communication and language) and;
  • The early learning goals in the specific areas of mathematics and literacy.

Supporting measure for the Good Level of Development will be the average point score across all Early Learning Goals;

  • This would measure the total number of points achieved on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile
  • The national measure would be the average of every child’s total point score

The scores are as follows;

  • Emerging 1
  • Expected 2
  • Exceeding3

Making a judgement

Practitioners must consider the entirety of each Early Learning Goal and avoid splitting the descriptor into sections and ticking them off.

Children do not necessarily achieve uniformly. The practitioner should judge whether the Early Learning Goal descriptor best fits the child’s learning and development taking into account their relative strengths and weaknesses.

  • Best fit does not mean that the child has equal mastery of all aspects of the Early Learning Goal
  • Practitioners should look to the whoile of each ELG description when making this summative judgement.

EYFS Profile Handbook, Page 11

When making a decision on a Good Level of Development using the Exemplification Materials, practitioners must consider the entirety of each Early Learning Goal.

To create the most accurate picture of the child’s overall embedded learning anholisitic view of the descriptor should be taken.

Sections of each descriptor must not be seen in isolation.

EYFS Profile Handbook Page 23, section 5.2

Assessment of Early Learning Goals in English

Within the EYFS Profile, the Early Learning Goals for Communication and Language and for Literacy must be assessed in relation to the child’s competency in English. The remaining Early Learning Goals may be assessed in the context of any language – including the child’s home language and English.

EYFS Profile Handbook page 15.

Using Development Matters

The outline of development across the Early Years Foundation Stage age/stage bands shown in Development Matters guidance makes it very clear that this should not be used as a check list. Every page carries this reminder:

‘children develop at their own rates, and in their own ways. The development statements and their order should not be taken as necessary steps for individual children. They should not be used as checklists. The age/stage bands overlap because there are not fixed age boundaries but suggest a typical range of development.

Why not a checklist?

When practitioners assess progress by using a list of separate statements of what children can do, highlighting or ticking them off individually, this is a checklist approach. It risks reducing practitioners’ understanding of the complexity of children’s individual learning journeys and leading to expectations that children’s pathways will follow a predictable route, identical to the other, and prescribed in advance. Research shows that children’s learning is not linear, progressing smoothly from one step to the next, but occurs in overlapping waves, with stops and starts, reverses, plateaus and spurts,

Understanding the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Helen Moylett and Nancy Stewart (Early Education 2012).

What we can do to support children to reach expected levels for example in Communication and Language and Literacy

Listening and attention, Understanding and Speaking.

  • There is an ethos that values children’s talk and encourages them to ask questions.
  • There are ‘real’ resources for children to play with eg cereal boxes, real fruit and vegetables that are familiar to children and their families.
  • There is ‘real’ equipment that is familiar to children and their families eg African brooms, Asian cookware, Polish food packaging.
  • There is a well-resourced role play area which is large enough for children to engage in purposeful play, available throughout the session.
  • There is a listening area with tapes and books in packs with story props for children to access.
  • The listening area is planned as a specific activity within the day.
  • The listening area contains blank tapes for children to record themselves.
  • Children can work quietly and privately with resources of their choice eg small world.
  • There are opportunities for individual, paired and small group story sessions (using story props wherever possible) in addition to story time.
  • Adults play alongside modelling vocabulary across the curriculum.
  • Adults play with language, using rhyming strings, playing with nonsense rhymes and making language fun.
  • Adults value children’s own language.
  • Adults acknowledge and value children’s own contributions to group times and discussions however relevant and valuable they may appear to the areas being discussed (if a lengthy response is required adults need to inform the children that they will return to it later)
  • Spontaneous observations are noted as well as more focused observations eg discussions between children in relation to sharing bikes, children speaking in role in the home corner.
  • There are planned observations for speaking and listening
  • Practitioners are good listeners and actively model effective listening for children.
  • Practitioners give time for the children to give an answer – leave space for thinking.
  • Structured opportunities are provided to model/teach children how to ask appropriate questions that are relevant to the subject being discussed.
  • They have the opportunity to talk and to listen in small groups rather than as a whole class.
  • First-hand experiences give children the opportunity to develop their vocabulary, their thinking and gives them a shared experience which they can talk to each other about.

Reading

  • There is a book corner which is cosy, inviting and linked to the listening area.
  • Books are attractively displayed and story props are available.
  • There is a good range of quality texts-fiction and non-fiction, dual language, key community languages.
  • Alphabets and signs are displayed in different scripts and languages.
  • Children are enabled to take books to read in all areas of the classroom.
  • Books are used to support areas of interest within the classroom.
  • Children have the opportunity to work with adults who love books and are enthusiastic to read them at any time.
  • Story times are well planned with carefully chosen books (not random selection just before story time)
  • Books are grouped according to themes and/or children’s interests.
  • Small group story times are undertaken where there is more than one adult working in the class rather than whole class story time. This helps the story and the session to be matched to the children’s level of listening, understanding and concentration.
  • They are able to re-read and re-read favourite books as well as engaging with new texts.
  • Adults encourage books to go home every night with an emphasis on sharing and enjoying texts with parents/carers. It is important that more than one book goes home where children are keen to read a favourite book again.
  • Areas of the room and resources are clearly labelled with pictures and words to encourage children to read for a purpose.
  • Opportunities for ‘real’ reading of labels on cartons, tins etc are provided with role-play.
  • Learning environments are print rich.
  • There is a book corner established as part of the entitlement of the outdoor learning environment. Books outside can be focused on areas of interests such as gardening, mini beasts, plants etc as well as a range of fiction books.
  • Adults encourage the use of the use of the local library either through small group visits to the library or inviting the librarian into school to share stories to individuals and small groups. Encouraging parents/carers to be involved in Book Start Projects etc.
  • Hand made books are available in book corners with text and photographs that record key moments of interest to the class.
  • Individual records of achievement are available for the children (and parents/carers) to read about themselves and to make links between home and school which encourage reading behaviours in both.
  • Self-registration is available. Starting with photograph and first name, moving to first and second name and finally to writing own name as they sign in. This replaces formal registration.
  • Photo-copied names are available in small photo-albums or pockets on the wall so that children can select their own name when they want to identify the model they have made, collage etc.

Writing

  • Meaningful opportunities for writing are presented in context eg writing labels for models, signing up to be a ‘helper’ at lunch time.
  • ‘Signing in’ first thing in the morning to replace the taking of a register.
  • There are opportunities for writing in role-play areas eg lists, recipes, telephone messages, invitations, appointments.
  • Paper, tape and scissors are available for children to make their own labels for their work.
  • They are encouraged to write their own names on their paintings.
  • They are encouraged to write on a large scale eg using water and decorating brushes, jumbo chalks
  • A large selection of writing tools is available.
  • Writing is encouraged in the sand, dirt, paint, cornflour etc.
  • Writing messages to each other is encouraged through the use of message pots or boxes. Secret messages are often most enjoyed by the children.
  • Adults write messages to children in order to encourage a reply.
  • Adults write messages to other adults and ask the children to carry the message and response for them. This enables children to see writing for a purpose.
  • Adults scribe for children at appropriate times eg when they have a lot to say. (Encourages links with speaking, listening and reading).
  • Adults scribe for children using the computer.
  • Writing from home is valued whatever it is.
  • Their own mark making is valued and built upon. (This is not evident where children are asked to copy over or under writing, going over dots or tracing etc).
  • Adults intervene and teach handwriting at key times (within the context of their own writing-when letters are constantly formed incorrectly within their names or other important and frequently used words) and not through formal handwriting lessons.
  • Writing/graphics areas are well equipped and accessible to children.
  • Guided writing celebrates children’s interests and is purposeful eg writing to a supplier to deliver more sand for the sandpit. It is not appropriate to copy write.
  • Shared writing opportunities capture children’s interests and are meaningful and relevant to them.

Phonics

  • Children are taught in small groups or as individuals according to ability. Lengthy whole class phonic teaching is not an appropriate methods for teaching phonics.
  • Phonics are taught in context both indoors and outside.
  • Phonics are taught through reading and writing and through incidental activities such as sending children to lunch by the initial or last sounds in their names etc
  • Adults know what children know and can do already ensuring that not all children are taught the same.

Resources

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five (DfE 2012)

Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Early Education 2012)

Understanding the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Helen Moylett and Nancy Stewart (Early Education 2012).

Learning, Playing and Interacting: Good practice in the EYFS (DCSF 2009)

Progress Matters: Reviewing and enhancing young children’s development (DCSF 2009)

Research

Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K., Muttock, S., Gilden, R. and Bell, D. (2002) Researching effective pedagogy in the early years. London DES Research Report 356

Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K., Taggart, B., Sammons, P., Melhuish, E., & Elliot K (2003). The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE Project: London DFE/Institute of Education.