What is the progress check at age two?
The learning and development requirements of the Early years foundation stage (EYFS) 2017 state 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:
- personal, social and emotional development
- physical development
- communication and language
This progress check must identify the child's strengths, and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected". (Section 2.3, 2017)
The progress check was introduced to enable earlier identification of development needs so that any additional support can be put into place as early as possible.
What information should be included in the progress check?
The EYFS framework does not require the progress check to be completed in a prescribed or standard format. It only specifies that information about a child's development should be provided to parents, in the prime areas of learning and development.
Beyond these prime areas, it is for practitioners to decide what the written summary should include, reflecting the development level and needs of the individual child.
The summary must:
- highlight areas in which a child is progressing well
- highlight areas in which some additional support might be needed
- 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)
- describe the activities and strategies the provider intends to adopt to address any issues or concerns.
Practitioners must discuss with parents or carers how the summary of development can be used to support learning at home.
For further information please refer to 'A Know How Guide' which can be found on the key documents section of the Foundation Years website. This non-statutory guidance has been produced by National Children's Bureau and supports you in implementing the statutory progress check at age two.
Two year progress check – Support tools
The Early Education and Childcare service have produced a range of useful tools intended to support practitioners, leaders and managers within early years provision who are undertaking the EYFS progress check at age two.
Read our Feature Focus highlighting best practice for quality assessment procedures and practices:
Our template Progress Check at Age Two is available to download for your use. This is based on the Key principles within 'A Know How Guide'.
The check:
- should be completed by a practitioner who knows the child well and works directly with them in the setting;
- arises from the ongoing observational assessments carried out as part of everyday practice in the setting;
- is based on skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviour that the child demonstrates consistently and independently;
- takes account of the views and contributions of parents;
- takes into account the views of other practitioners and, where relevant, other professionals working with the child;
- enables children to contribute actively to the process.
Progress Check at Age Two Northamptonshire Proforma September 2020 (Word 100KB)
For early years leaders and managers our monitoring tool can be used to support you in your role as a way of reviewing assessment processes and approving the quality of reports before they are shared with parents and other professionals.
Key people can make use of our quality assessment checklist to ensure they are consistent in their approach and produce high quality assessments.
Download our handy guide answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the progress check: