Overview of assessment guidance

In early years settings, measuring progress is about knowing each child as an individual and identifying their learning and development.

Knowing each child well allows you to compare their learning and development with the learning statements in the curriculum. This means you can identify if a child is not making the expected progress and intervene in a timely way. Responding swiftly is important, as some aspects of development are acquired quickly and readily at young ages but would require more support and structure to acquire later. You will also be able to identify particular interests for each child and areas of strength to build on.

It is important to take a systematic and holistic approach, where you regularly consider each child’s progress against every part of the curriculum. The most important use of this assessment will be to get to know each child better and so plan their next steps more effectively. Sometimes you will want to record what you discover, and you may need to report this to parents, carers and colleagues. This will not happen all of the time, and it must not distract from ongoing high-quality interactions with children.