Early intervention was high on the agenda in 2012 when the government brought in a statutory progress check for two-year-olds.
And, last week, a decade on, the government published new guidance for early years foundation stage (EYFS) settings on how to undertake the progress check. This guidance is so important - not just to those who have responsibility for doing the check, but for Reception teachers, too.
The progress check offers a snapshot of a child’s development at a very important stage: it reviews their development and identifies any areas of concern, where progress is not as expected. It also helps parents to understand their child’s needs and enhance their child’s development at home, and invites parents to share their unique knowledge about their child, family and culture.
And yet, in my experience, the information provided by the check is rarely considered by teachers in nursery or Reception classes.
This is troubling: when teachers don’t look at the check, they miss information about the child’s earlier learning, which might be of crucial importance. Working together with parents is a big part of the check and, when it’s not explored, any collaboration between those at home and those in early years settings - including childminders - can go unrecognised.
We know that the early years - including the period before most children ever come into a school - are crucial to children’s development and health. The best scientific evidence tells us that brains develop fastest from birth to two years old. The first five years are the most important years for future health and happiness in adulthood.
And yet, research tells us that only three in 10 parents recognise this. Crucial information about child development is not widely understood in our society and, arguably, many teachers and school leaders are unaware of it, too.
Early years settings do important work when they sensitively share ideas with parents to enhance children’s learning at home. The evidence is powerful around the leading role that the home learning environment plays in children’s development of their early speech, language and communication. This doesn’t just matter in the early years but is associated with differences in outcomes all the way through to GCSEs and A levels.
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So, what can be done to improve how the progress check is used?
First and foremost, we need to raise awareness among teachers and parents about what the check offers and encourage them to make use of the information it provides. Early years teachers have a role to play here in communicating the check’s value.
But early years settings also need to get better at responding to what the check tells us. For instance, the progress check has the potential to strengthen the partnership between the setting and the home. This is particularly true when it comes to supporting those that might be struggling - it highlights, early on, which families need more help, and what sort of support they would welcome.
This needs sensitive handling: a report published by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in June 2021 found that, for 15 per cent of parents, the fear of being judged makes it difficult for them to ask for the help they need.
It is also important to note that most two-year-olds attend early years provision. This includes children from low-income backgrounds, with 60 per cent accessing a free place. When considering the data from the check, it’s therefore worth bearing in mind that, if you are a Reception teacher, most of your children have already received two or more years of early education and care before starting with you. The check gives an insight into what that has provided.
Ultimately, when used well, the progress check can support the important, respectful collaboration between parents and early years educators: that benefits all parties.
As research published by the effective pre-school, primary and secondary education (EPPSE) found, trajectories for children’s development are, in general, set early. It is rare for that trajectory to change during a child’s primary or secondary education. We need to focus our efforts and offer more help to the families who need it most, when their children are still young.
The progress check can help teachers in nursery and Reception classes to do that. That way, we can help more children to succeed in education.
Dr Julian Grenier and early years consultant Megan Pacey worked with a group of practitioners and researchers to develop new DfE guidance for the statutory progress check at age two
Dr Julian Grenier is the headteacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre. He co-leads the East London Research School
