ADVICE AND GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS
JANUARY 2013
Introduction
This document provides updated advice and guidance for members working in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The revised Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook has been published, which replaces the 2008 version. The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Handbook and accompanying exemplification materials are available to download from:
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All early years settings, including maintained schools, non-maintained schools, independent schools and all providers on the early years register are required to complete the EYFS assessment for any children in the final year of the EYFS and to participate in moderation. This includes academies which provide for children in the final year of the EYFS. It also includes Service Children’s schools but not other overseas schools. Children attending a pupil referral unit (PRU) or a hospital school do not fall under the requirements of the EYFS reporting and assessment arrangements.
The emphasis throughout the Profile Handbook is that children in the EYFS should have access to a rich learning environment which is balanced across the areas of learning and respects individual interests. This should include access to an outdoor play environment.
Further mention is made in the Handbook of the importance of providing a diverse environment which allows all children to reach their full potential. It is recognised that summer born children may have different learning styles from their older peers and appropriateprovision must be made for this in any school or setting.
The Union will continue to urge the Government to ensure that when Ofsted inspect EYFS provision, they are inspecting a broad and rich curriculum and learning environment, both indoors and outside and not focusing on just phonics teaching or the ‘core’ areas of reading, writing and mathematics.
Changes to the EYFS
The NUT guidance for members on the changes to the EYFS can be downloaded at The increased expectations in English, writing and mathematics are set out in the guidance and members will already have been working within the new EYFS framework for some time.
How is the revisedEYFS Profile different from the 2008 version?
The revised EYFS Profile requires teachers to complete 20 items of information for each child. This includes a short narrative describing the child’s three learning characteristics and the attainment of each child assessed in relation to the 17 Early Learning Goal (ELG) descriptors. If teachers are allowed to follow the Profile Handbook guidelines and gather evidence based on their own judgement and best fit evidence for each ELG, this should be a reduction in workload as the ELGs have been reduced in number.
The three learning characteristics are: playing and exploring; active learning; and creativity and thinking critically.
For each of the ELGs, the teacher will judge whether the child:
- is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the EYFS;
- is exceeding this level; or
- is not yet reaching this level (emerging).
A range of exemplification materials based on the level expected of children are available to download at:
For children who teachers feel have not yet reached the expected level (emerging), the advice in the Profile Handbook is to refer to the Development Matters guidance on the Department for Education website: and to describe children’s learning in relation to the earlier developmental statements. It is not recommended that teachers use p-scales.
Where teachers judge a child to be exceeding the expected level, they should consider the Key Stage 1 attainment targets and level descriptors or refer to Annex 2 of the Profile Handbook. It should be noted that these arrangements will change once the National Curriculum review is completed.
What about children with special educational needs (SEN)?
The EYFSP Handbook is clear that children with special educational needs (SEN) should be given every opportunity to develop their full potential within the EYFS framework. When assessing children’s achievements within the ELGs, teachers should allow use of and take into account any adaptations or equipment which children use to carry out their activities.
Teachers are advised to use the Development Matters guidance if children with SEN are working at the emerging stages of the ELGs. The Handbook makes clear that p-scales should not be used for assessment in the EYFS.
What about children for whom English is an additional language?
The Profile Handbook clearly advises teachers that learning English as an additional language is not a special educational need. Practitioners are advised to make it clear to parents that it is acceptable and desirable for children to speak their home language at school.
The ELG for communication, language and literacy must, however, be assessed in relation to the child’s ability in English rather than their home language. All other areas of learning may be assessed in the child’s home language (languages) or English.
Further information about teaching EAL children in the EYFS can be found on the NALDIC website at:
Will the new EYFS Profile mean that I have to produce a lot more evidence for each child?
The EYFS Profile Handbook states that the evidence which will form the basis of a teacher’s judgement will be gained from observation and interaction ‘in a range of daily activities and events’. Under the heading ‘Practitioner Knowledge’ the Handbook says that the evidence from a teacher’s observations ‘often not formally recorded provides the basis on which judgements are made and the focus of a moderation dialogue.’
‘Paperwork should be kept to the minimum’in order toshow children’s attainment in the ELGs. Practitioners in reception classes are advised to ‘consider the entirety of the ELG’ and not split the descriptor into sections, ticking them off once a decision has been made. This is unnecessary.
Under the existing Profile arrangements, teachers have often found that schools require them to produce evidence of each element of the early learning goal (ELG) for every child.
The NUT has always advised members that the Profile should not be a tickbox exercise. Teachers should use their professional judgement supported by evidence gained from largely everyday interactions with children which are child-initiated to form a judgement on each ELG.
The Handbook suggests that teachers seek a ‘best fit’ approach to making judgements on a child’s attainment within either the emerging, expected or exceeding categories based on their professional judgement.
Moderation
Moderation of the Profile is a statutory requirement and local authorities are responsible for the moderation process. All practitioners implementing the EYFS Profile are required to take part in a moderation visit or EYFS Profile training each year.
Academies are required to implement the requirements of the EYFS as set out in Section 40 of the Childcare Act 2006 and must comply with local authority moderation requirements.
All registered Early Years providers are required to complete the EYFS assessment for any children in the final year of the EYFS and to participate in moderation. This includes an academy providing for children in the final year of the EYFS.
Visits will continue to take place on a four year cycle within each local authority. Further information on the moderation process is in the Handbook and the Assessment and Reporting Arrangements(ARAs) booklet at:
Local authorities should inform settings that are to receive an EYFS Profile moderation visit at the end of the spring term. In these settings, interim judgements will need to be completed against all the ELGs by the beginning of May for children in the reception year.
With the introduction of the ‘best fit’ model, moderators will be looking for practitioner’s consistent understanding of the ELGs in making their judgements.
For early years practitioners in one or two form entry schools, it is advised that collaborative peer discussions take place with colleagues in the early years in other schools in order to professionally secure the ELG levels within the ‘best fit’ model. This could form part of the ‘internal’ segment of the moderation process.
The EYFSP Handbook clearly states that the moderation process should be a professional dialogue between the moderator and practitioner. The guidance in the Handbookon exemplification says:‘There is no prescribed method of gathering evidence as a foundation for EYFS Profile judgements…Practitioners will build up a significant professional knowledge of each child which will not be recorded but which must be considered when EYFS Profile judgements are made.’
It is this knowledge of individual children which will form part of the discussion between the moderator and the practitioner.
NUT members who feel that local authority moderators are not following the statutory guidance or are requiring practitioners to produce unnecessary evidence and paperwork as part of the process should contact their Division Secretary for advice.
NUT ADVICE
The NUT will continue to represent members who face any excessive workload demands arising from the Profile. You should contact your Division Secretary if you believe that you are subject to excessive demands relating to the Profile.
If members working in the early years feel isolated, they are advised also to discuss these with colleagues in the early years in nearby schools. Clustering peer groups for early years’ teachers, within divisions can provide additional, valuable, professional support.
NUT members are advised that, if they are being pressured by direct line managers or the head teacher to produce excessive evidence on every descriptor for every child at the end of the EYFS, they should contact their local Division Secretary, as this is clearly inappropriate and not in line with the Government guidelines contained within the EYFS Profile Handbook.
EYFSP Guidance for Members (Jan 2013)_JE103 April 2019
Revised: 30 January 2013/JE&SA