Early years foundation stage profile
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) is the period of learning from birth to age 5 – before key stage 1 begins in Year 1.
The EYFS profile is an assessment of children’s achievements at the end of the Reception year – the last year of the early years foundation stage.
Children are assessed against 17 early learning goals. The child’s profile will include whether children are below, at or above these goals – known as emerging, expected or exceeding the level expected by the end of reception year.
The profile also includes a paragraph on how children demonstrate three “characteristics of effective learning” which are: playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically.
Phonic Screening Test (Year 1 and 2)
What is the phonics screening check?
The phonics screening check is a short, light-touch assessment to confirm whether individual children have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. The checks consist of 40 words and non-words that your child will be asked to read one-on-one with a teacher. It will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support by their school to improve their reading skills. They will then be able to retake the check so that schools can track children until they are able to decode.
Who is it for?
The screening check is for all Year 1 children and children in Year 2 who previously did not meet the standard of the check in Year 1.
Is it compulsory?
Yes. It is a statutory requirement for all schools to carry out the screening check.
When does it happen?
Schools will be able to administer the check at any time that suits them during the week starting Monday 10th June 2024.
Who carries out the screening check?
A teacher who is known to the child will carry out the test. Administering the phonics check requires a teacher’s professional judgement.
How long does the check take?
Every child is different, but in the pilot study most children took between four and nine minutes to complete the assessment.
How is the check structured?
It will be a short, simple screening check to make sure that all children have grasped fundamental phonic skills. It comprises a list of 40 words and non-words, which a child will read one-to-one with a teacher. Half of the words cover phonic skills which tend to be covered in Reception, and half of the words are based on Year 1 phonic skills.
Key Stage 1
Children are given an assessment of their attainment (ability) against the national standards in English, Maths and Science at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2. At Key Stage 1 there are test that teachers use but they are informal and are used to support the teacher assessment.
Your child’s teacher is responsible for judging the standards your child is working at in English, Maths and Science, by the end of key stage 1. To help inform those judgements, pupils sit national curriculum tests in English and Maths, commonly called SATs. They may also sit an optional test in English grammar, punctuation and spelling.
The tests are a tool for teachers to help them measure your child’s performance and identify their needs as they move into key stage 2. They also allow teachers to see how your child is performing against national expected standards.
The tests can be taken any time during May and they are not strictly timed. Children may not even know they are taking them as many teachers will incorporate them into everyday classroom activities.
Teachers will use the results from these tests, along with the work your child has done throughout the year, to help them reach their own judgements about how your child is progressing at the end of key stage 1. These teacher assessment judgements will be reported to you by the end of the summer term.
Key Stage 2
If your child is in Year 4, at the end of the year they will take the new Multiplications table check. They are tested on all of their multiplication tables and have six seconds to answer each of the twenty five questions. Schools can administer the check within a three week period from Monday 3rd June 2024
If you have a child in year 6, at the end of key stage 2, they will take national curriculum tests in English reading, English grammar, punctuation and spelling and mathematics. The tests help measure the progress pupils have made and identify if they need additional support in a certain area. The tests are also used to assess schools’ performance and to produce national performance data. The key stage 2 tests will be taken on set dates unless your child is absent, in which case they may be able to take them up to 5 school days afterwards.
The key stage 2 tests are timetabled from Monday 13th May to Thursday 16th May 2024
At the end of the summer term you should receive test results for:
As there is no test for English writing, this will be reported as a teacher assessment judgement. This is a judgement teachers will make, based on your child’s work at the end of key stage 2. You will also receive teacher assessment judgements for English reading, mathematics and science.
