EYFS Progress Check at age 2
The EYFS Statutory Framework states that “when a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas”:
Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage
The aim of this Progress Check at age two is “to enable earlier identification of development needs so that additional support can be put into place”:
A Know How Guide: The EYFS progress check at age two
Important points to consider (taken from the Statutory Framework):
- “The summary must highlight: areas in which a child is progressing well; areas in which some additional support might be needed; and focus particularly on any areas where there is a concern that a child may have a developmental delay (which may indicate a special educational need or disability)” (pg 13).
- “It must describe the activities and strategies the provider intends to adopt to address any issues or concerns” (pg 13).
- “Practitioners must discuss with parents and/or carers how the summary of development can be used to support learning at home” (pg 13).
- “Practitioners must agree with parents and/or carers when will be the most useful point to provide a summary” (pg 14).
- “Where possible, the progress check and the Healthy Child Programme health and development review at age two (when the health visitors gather information on a child’s health and development, allowing them to identify any developmental delay and any support from which they think the child/family might benefit) should inform integrated working.” (pg 14).
- “Providers must have the consent of parents and/or carers to share information directly with other professionals, if they consider this would be helpful” (pg 14).
The process (taken from the Know How Guide)
It is recommended that the Key Person starts by gathering important information about the child in all three prime areas of learning (this will come from Learning Journeys, informal observations, discussion with colleagues etc) and might be drafted together in the form of initial assessment judgements.
The Key Person should then meet with the child’s parents/carers to discuss the child’s progress in each of these areas and gather their views to contribute towards the summary.
Once the Progress Check is completed (and discussed with colleagues / managers as appropriate) a copy should be provided for the parents/carers and another copy stored within the setting. Any identified needs should be addressed through planned intervention, both within the setting and at home. Should support be required from outside agencies, practitioners must first discuss this with parents and gain their consent to share the concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions:
One of my two year olds also attends a pre-school setting in the village; do we both complete a Progress Check for him?
- No. Ideally the Progress Check should be completed by the setting where the child spends the most time – the other setting should contribute towards this process though, as children often show differences (in ability, confidence, personality) in different types of setting.
A nearly three year old child started with me last month; do I need to complete a Progress Check?
- The Statutory Framework suggests that “if a child moves settings between the ages of two and three it is expected that the progress check would usually be undertaken by the setting where the child has spent most time”. It would be worth speaking to the child’s parents/carers to find out if a Progress Check has already been completed, or if the child attended a previous early years setting (which may not necessarily be the case). Gaining a copy of any previous Progress Check may help you settle and support a child who has already been identified as in need of additional support; otherwise it will be your responsibility to complete a Progress Check once you know the child well enough.
Do I need to keep a copy of the Progress Check once completed?
- Once completed the Progress Check belongs to the parents/carers and it is their responsibility to share it with their child’s Health Visitor. It would be good practice to keep a copy of the Progress Check to include in the child’s records, and inform any future intervention which may support the child’s ongoing learning and development. “If there are any significant emerging concerns, or an identified special educational need or disability, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development involving other professionals as appropriate” (Statutory Framework pg 10)
Should I share the Progress Check with a child’s Health Visitor, if I think parents wont?
- See previous answers.
We have recently completed a Progress Summary for all the children in our setting, do I still need to do a Progress Check for those children who are two?
- Completing a Progress Check, and sharing it with parents, is a Statutory duty for early years providers and must be undertaken for all children aged between 24-36 months. It may be that you are able to update the information in the existing Progress Summary (if it has been completed recently) and share that with parents/carers.
What if parents are ‘too busy’ / reluctant to come in and meet with the Key Person to share the Progress Check?
- Be creative! Offer a variety of appointment times/dates, agree to a friend attending to support a vulnerable parent, suggest an alternative setting for the meeting etc. Ultimately these meetings will depend on the strength of your relationships with parents – ensure these are developed positively from the start. As a last resort the Progress Check may be discussed over the phone, however face-to-face is always preferable.
Future plans
Although there are currently two checks completed on children aged two (one by early years settings and one by the Health Visitor team) the intention is that by approximately 2015 there will be one Integrated Health and Education Review which both disciplines will have an input into for each and every two to two-and-a-half year old. For more information about this see: National Children's Bureau or Action for Children and search ‘Integrated Review’ or try Gov.UK: Early years (under 5s) foundation stage framework (EYFS)
Further information
Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage