Importance of the EYFS profile for transitions
The EYFS profile as a transition tool
The EYFS profile is a rounded summary of each child’s level of development at the end of reception. It’s intended to support continuity in learning and inform year 1 planning, rather than to predict future attainment.
The EYFS profile provides valuable information for year 1 teachers. Transition conversations for all learners help year 1 teachers identify where children may have met an ELG but not met the full breadth of the curriculum. Where children are emerging on an ELG, it also helps year 1 teachers plan to support those children in helping them to meet those areas of learning later.
Children’s learning is not always linear and may change over time, including across transition points, like the move from reception to year 1. It is important that the start of year 1 helps to consolidate learning that took place in reception.
Year 1 teachers need to be aware of what the ELGs are and how judgements are made. This means year 1 teachers understand and can use the ‘expected’ and ‘emerging’ judgements to meet the needs of the children moving into year 1.
What you should share
To make transition meaningful, you should provide context behind your EYFS profile judgements, such as:
- information about what children still need to learn, focusing on important missing knowledge and skills
- whether the judgement was made using the best-fit approach and, if so, which aspects of the ELG the child still needs support with
- any strategies, scaffolds or adaptations that have been effective in supporting the child’s learning and engagement
- details on ‘emerging’ judgements that explain whether the child was close to the ‘expected’ level or significantly below it
- successful approaches, interests and motivators that aid engagement and learning
This level of detail helps year 1 teachers understand not just the outcome, but the child’s learning trajectory, enabling them to plan targeted support and keep using strategies that work. It also informs year 1 teachers of what pupils cannot yet do, so they can address these gaps from the very start of year 1.
This video illustrates examples of assessment practice. While it features real children in real school settings, their actual developmental levels may differ from what is shown, and some scenes include acting for demonstration purposes.