Assessment and Progress
At East Dene Primary School, assessment is an important part of helping us to know our children well, understand their starting points and ensure that teaching meets their needs.
Assessment in Early Years is purposeful and developmentally appropriate. It is not about repeatedly testing young children. Practitioners build an accurate picture of what children know, understand and can do through high-quality interactions, observation, adult-led learning, continuous provision and conversations with children.
We use this information to identify what children have learned securely, what they need to learn next and where additional support or challenge may be required.
Understanding Children’s Starting Points
When a child is new to East Dene, we complete an on-entry baseline assessment within their first four weeks. This gives practitioners time to develop trusting relationships and allows children to settle and feel secure before an accurate picture of their development is established.
Our baseline approach is light-touch, inclusive and developmentally appropriate. Practitioners draw upon observations in familiar play-based contexts, meaningful interactions and short, purposeful activities rather than relying on formal testing.
For children who move from one of our EYFS classes into the next, we build upon what we already know. Previous assessment information provides the starting point, alongside transition observations, ensuring continuity as children progress through F1 and F2.
Our 13-Stage Assessment Framework
We use a 13-stage assessment framework to understand and monitor children’s development throughout F1 and F2. The stages span from Stage 1 to Stage 12+, enabling us to recognise children’s individual starting points and track how their knowledge and skills develop over time.
The stages are broadly aligned with age and termly expectations but are flexible enough to recognise children’s individual developmental journeys. Stage 12+ also enables practitioners to continue to support and challenge children working beyond the Early Learning Goals, where appropriate.
Our detailed assessment checkpoints identify the knowledge and skills children are developing across the curriculum, helping practitioners to make secure professional judgements about children’s learning.
Ongoing Assessment
Assessment happens naturally throughout children’s everyday experiences in Early Years.
Practitioners continually notice what children know, understand and can do as they teach, interact and play alongside them. We look for children to demonstrate knowledge and skills confidently and consistently, rather than recording learning that is still emerging.
Alongside this ongoing assessment, children’s progress is formally reviewed at key points during the year:
On entry → End of Autumn → End of Spring → End of Summer.
This enables practitioners and leaders to build a clear picture of both attainment and progress over time.
Using Assessment to Move Learning Forward
The most important purpose of assessment is what we do with it.
Practitioners use assessment to inform planning, identify children’s next steps and ensure that children receive appropriate support and challenge.
Assessment information also enables us to identify patterns and gaps in learning. This informs adult-led teaching, continuous provision, enhanced provision and targeted support, so that what we provide responds directly to what our children need to learn next.
Leaders use assessment information to evaluate the impact of the curriculum and provision, considering how well individual children and groups of children are progressing and where further action may be needed.
Our aim is not simply to collect assessment information, but to use it intelligently so that it makes a difference to children’s learning.
Specific Assessments and Screening
Alongside practitioners’ ongoing professional assessment, we use carefully selected assessment and screening tools at appropriate points to provide additional information about particular aspects of children’s development.
These include assessments of communication and language, phonological awareness and phonics, wellbeing and involvement, writing and physical development, alongside other areas of learning. The particular assessment used depends upon children’s age and stage.
These tools complement, rather than replace, practitioners’ professional knowledge of the child.
Supporting Every Child to Make Progress
Children develop in different ways and from different starting points. Our assessment approach enables us to look beyond a child’s chronological age and understand their individual learning journey.
Where assessment identifies that a child has a gap in their knowledge or skills, is at risk of falling behind or requires additional challenge, practitioners respond appropriately. This links closely with our approach to early identification of need, ensuring that barriers are recognised and action is taken promptly.
We continually consider the impact of our teaching and provision: what children have learned, the progress they are making and what needs to happen next.
Our ambition is for every child to make strong progress from their individual starting points, achieve consistently well and develop the secure foundations they need to be exceptionally well prepared for their next steps.
Find Out More
Our EYFS Assessment Handbook provides detailed information about our approach to assessment, including our 13-stage framework, assessment checkpoints, on-entry baseline assessments and the assessment approaches used across F1 and F2.