Changes to early years goals and Profile planned

The moves are included in the formal response to the 12-week review of primary assessment in England, which was published yesterday.

The Department for Education said that the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile would be retained but will be improved, including a review of supporting guidance, to cut teacher workload.

The DfE said that it would be looking at the feasibility of reducing the number of Early Learning Goals (ELGs) that are assessed, and limiting this to the three prime areas (communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development) and the specific areas of mathematics and literacy.

It added, 'This could potentially reduce the assessment burden and ensure that we are
focusing on those areas that have the strongest correlation with future attainment, whilst retaining the breadth of the EYFS curriculum. In light of the consultation feedback, we recognise that this is a sensitive issue, and therefore we will conduct further analysis, working with our stakeholders and our advisory panel in securing the right approach to take forward.’

The reponse also said the the ELGs would be revised and the descriptors made clearer, although the seven areas of learning and the number of ELGs underpinning the framework would remain the same.  ‘The ELGs in need of the most significant revisions’ were those relating to communication and language; physical development; personal, social and emotional development; and mathematics and literacy.

It said that the communication and language ELGs would be revised ‘to ensure that there is
sufficient focus on increasing depth and breadth of vocabulary’.

On physical development, the Government said that it would ‘ensure that there is sufficient focus on both fine and gross motor skills, given the research evidence around links between physical activity and cognitive development.’

The Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) ELGs will be brought ‘into line with the latest evidence on self-regulation and executive functioning, given the evidence that it is a predictor of future attainment’.

The mathematics and literacy ELGs will be reviewed and revised ‘to ensure that they support children to develop the right building blocks for learning at key stage 1’.

The consultation asked for views on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) and the report includes a summary of responses.

It says that, ‘The broad view from respondents was that the EYFSP is a well-established, valued assessment and should be retained, but that the ELGs should be clarified and refined in a number of areas, in order to better assess a child’s development at the end of the early years foundation stage.’

It adds that ‘key areas for improvement include: that ELGs should be better aligned with expectations at key stage 1, particularly mathematics and literacy. A common theme
emerging from the consultation was that teaching approaches for mathematics and literacy ELGs could be in conflict with the methods taught in year 1. We heard that this is particularly the case regarding the use of numbers and phonics, and that more could be done to frame the descriptors and supporting guidance in order to ensure that pupils are best prepared for key stage 1.

‘We also heard a significant number of requests to include vocabulary as a key descriptor in
the communication and language ELGs, given the substantial research evidence to support it as a predictor of future attainment.’

It said that another area identified for improvement was to cut the number of ELGs which are assessed, while ‘retaining a rounded, holistic EYFS curriculum. Many respondents said that the EYFSP should focus on those ELGs which make up the "good level of development" indicator, which are within the three prime areas: communication and language development, physical development and personal, social and emotional development (PSED), and the specific areas of mathematics and literacy. This will focus attention on areas of education which evidence suggests are the most important predictors of future attainment.’

Jan Dubiel, national director of Early Excellence, which last year carried out The Hundred Review into Reception class teaching, raised concerns that reducing the number of goals that would be assessed would negatively impact the EYFS curriculum.

‘This will inevitably lead to a narrowing of the curriculum,’ he told Nursery World. ‘It’s very disappointing that it will be prime areas only and not a broad and balanced curriculum. It’s a narrowing down to simplifying the characteristics of children’s learning.’

The Hundred Review, which was based on evidence from more than 4,000 primary head teachers and Reception class teachers, found that for many teachers 'the pitch level' for expectations of literacy and maths was too high and deemed 'inappropriate,' he said.

Mr Dubiel added, ‘As we detailed in The Hundred Review [with] maths and literacy you have to look at a whole of range of things, such as particularly language development, PSED, [and what we] broadly describe as  characteristics of effective development, all equally important.'