Inclusive assessment strategies and examples
Why inclusion matters
Every child deserves an accurate assessment that reflects their achievements and potential, including children:
- with developmental differences
- with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- from other vulnerable groups
Inclusive assessment ensures that all children are recognised for what they can do (with reasonable adjustments where necessary), rather than being limited by assumptions or barriers. It is a vital part of creating an equitable early years environment where every child’s progress is valued.
You must complete the EYFS profile for all children. You should not assume that children will be emerging in all early learning goals (ELGs) because of developmental differences, SEND or being part of other vulnerable groups. Many of these children may meet some or even all the ELGs, and assessment should reflect their actual achievements rather than assumptions.
Although some children may not reach the ELGs, you should still celebrate their progress with parents and carers, other staff and their year 1 teachers. You can use the information you gather for the EYFS profile assessment to support this, along with other methods of formative assessment and your own observations.
Inclusive assessment recognises the adaptations children need to access learning. When making judgements, you should consider what a child can do using adaptations and reasonable adjustments. These can include:
- a walker
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- any other tools they regularly use
The ELGs are the same for all children and your assessment should focus on what children can do when using these adaptations.
Some children may communicate using a range of approaches, including, but not limited to:
- signing
- body language
- gestures
You should give children an opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do through a variety of communication methods.
When assessing all children, you should take each ELG in turn and carefully consider whether the child has achieved it. Children may demonstrate the ELGs in different ways and may follow developmental trajectories that differ from their peers. Often, this is a normal part of development for a child. You should also remember the ELGs are interconnected, and emerging attainment in one area may influence outcomes in others. For example, assessment of the Speaking ELG supports assessment of other ELGs where communication is central.
Professional judgement is essential in recognising achievement, even when it looks different from typical examples. If a child has not yet met an ELG, it is important to acknowledge the progress they have made, highlight their strengths, and share next steps and the support they may need with their year 1 teacher to help with continuity in learning.
Completing the EYFS profile for every child is not just a statutory requirement. It plays a vital role in providing early support. By accurately identifying strengths and areas for development, you can plan targeted support and work collaboratively with parents, carers and professionals to meet each child’s needs.
Home languages, English and mode of communication
You must base your judgements for the Communication and Language and Literacy ELGs on children’s competency in English or British Sign Language (BSL).
Children may use their home language to demonstrate other areas of learning and development in the EYFS, including:
- personal, social and emotional development
- physical development
- mathematics
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
Children can use the following for all ELGs, including Speaking:
- signing
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication
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.
Transcript
Transcript
In this series, you will find key information on how ongoing assessment and a teacher’s knowledge of the child supports the EYFS Profile assessment, and the benefits this brings, in particular for children with developmental differences and special educational needs and disabilities.
In the EYFS, every child’s journey is unique.
Every child, including those with developmental differences and SEND, will have their own strengths and areas where they may need support.
By creating warm, inclusive environments and working closely with families, we ensure every child is seen, heard and supported.
The EYFSP assessment must be completed for all children, including those with developmental differences and SEND.
Through daily observations and interactions, teachers build a rich understanding of each child’s development.
Teachers and practitioners should carefully assess children based on what they know and can do and against each Early Learning Goal separately.
Teachers should make judgements based on what a child can do when using adaptations and reasonable adjustments.
For example, a child who is physically disabled may use a mobility aid, or a child with a visual impairment may use large print.
Ongoing formative assessment grounded in a deep knowledge and understanding of each child’s development is essential for unlocking potential, promoting inclusion and achieving the best outcomes in the EYFSP assessment.
By using a simple, consistent approach, teachers can effectively track progress and provide timely, tailored support, especially for children with developmental differences and SEND, to help them learn, grow and thrive.
Teachers should approach the EYFSP assessment in a collaborative way, involving parents and special educational needs coordinators.
In these animations, you will see examples of teachers assessing children with various developmental differences and SEND against some ELGs.
Transcript
Transcript
Martin is deaf and is learning BSL.
Conversations with parents helped us understand his starting points and plan effectively.
Thank you for meeting Martin has responded well to the visual picture cues you suggested. We also have a teacher trained in British Sign Language.
Martin has really taken to this teacher and they’re starting to communicate using basic BSL. That’s great to hear.
Yes, he’s started learning BSL and we’re using it at home too.
Wonderful. If you could share some of the signs used that will help us create a consistent communication environment.
And of course, we’ll continue to accompany our verbal instructions with visual strategies.
For Martin, we’ve introduced various visual resources such as a printed timetable with pictures. These help him navigate the environment and follow instructions.
How do you think he’s getting on with BSL?
He’s made so much progress and he is really enjoying it.
He’s developing a strong deaf identity, which is boosting his confidence.
It would be even better if we can use the BSL signs he knows in daily routines and communication involving other children too.
Sounds good. As you know, I’m also learning BSL to support Martin further.
Thank you. It’s great to see your approach and adaptations helping.
Let’s review his progress and adjust strategies as needed.
I’m so pleased with Martin’s progress this year.
How did the profile assessment go?
His communication and language, particularly his body language and facial expressions, have improved significantly.
He confidently uses BSL to share his views or ideas, but also to explain his feelings and needs.
Our teacher who can sign supported me in assessing how competently Martin uses new vocabulary.
We concluded he met the speaking ELG because he demonstrated clear purposeful communication using BSL, supported by facial expressions and gestures.
As we know for all ELGs, including speaking, a child’s established or preferred mode of communication can be used.
We shouldn’t assume children with developmental differences and SEND are emerging for all ELG’s without assessing each child on their own merit.
Agreed. We should be ambitious for all.
Other children have picked up a few signs to communicate with him, which has helped him not only in making friends and develop his deaf identity, but to achieve some of the personal, social and emotional development ELG’s too.
Great. I’m so glad to hear that.
Yes. And now we’re focusing on supporting Martin’s transition to year one.
We’re working closely with his new teacher to ensure continuity, especially using BSL and visual aids.
We’re also helping him build confidence in group discussions and encouraging turn taking in conversations.
It’s all about making sure his thoughts and opinions are heard and valued as he moves forward.
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Transcript
Here it is with a clear blank line between every sentence:
Olivia joined reception with noticeable delays in communication and language.
She finds it difficult to express herself verbally and prefers playing alone.
How is Olivia doing?
Have you completed the EYFS profile assessment?
Yes, she’s made lots of progress.
One area I focused on was comprehension.
Olivia enjoys listening to familiar stories and has favourites, she reads repeatedly.
She’s more engaged when we use puppets or the class act out the story, which helped us to understand her comprehension skills.
She can use simple words and uses some new vocabulary to describe what’s happening and sometimes she can anticipate what comes next.
When it comes to new texts she finds it challenging to understand what has happened and predict what might happen next, but with reminders and prompts, she can anticipate some events.
She’s also showing more confidence in story reading with a peer for short periods of time.
That’s excellent progress.
How have you assessed her for the Comprehension ELG?
I’ve judged her as emerging as she’s not consistently demonstrating her understanding or anticipating key events in stories.
Can you share any examples?
One moment that stood out was during a small group story session, we were reading ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’, a story Olivia knows well.
At the part about the cave Olivia pointed to the picture and said, ‘bear is hiding’.
She then looked at me and said ‘they’re scared’.
It was a brief but meaningful exchange and showed positive progress.
However, when we read a story later, she needed prompts to follow the sequence and struggled to anticipate what might happen next.
She was able to answer simple questions with support, but her responses were inconsistent and required prompts.
That’s helpful to hear.
How about areas where she’s at the expected level of development for?
I assessed her as expected for the personal, social and emotional development prime area in all three ELG’s.
Her confidence in expressing her preferences and making choices during play is improving.
She now independently selects books and sometimes invites a peer to sit with her during story time.
She’s managing transitions more calmly and using sensory tools to self-regulate, showing progress in building relationships and managing emotions.
Is there anything that’s helped you support Olivia this year?
I’ve had conversations with Olivia’s parents throughout, which helped me understand her interests and behaviours at home.
For example, when she went to Spain to see her granny, we built on what she’d experienced through stories and games about travel, and this has allowed her to express herself in a range of contexts more familiar to her.
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Transcript
Here it is with numbering and timestamps removed, one sentence per line, and a blank line between each:
Sayeed has a physical need, cerebral palsy, and uses specialist equipment to aid his walking.
To understand his starting point and plan effectively, we considered his mobility, information from his parents and observed how he accessed the environment.
Initial discussions with Sayeed’s parents were essential in identifying his strengths and areas of need.
This helped build a holistic picture of his development and inform the adaptations we made.
For example, the classroom layout was adjusted to support his mobility and shelves were lowered to promote independence.
Adapted tools were introduced to support his fine motor development.
These adjustments enabled Sayeed to engage more fully in activities.
Thanks for catching up.
I wanted to share Sayeed’s EYFS profile outcomes for physical development.
He’s making great progress.
While he still uses a walker, he confidently navigates the space.
He enjoys joining in with outdoor play and recently participated in an accessible obstacle course we designed for all children.
His strength and balance have also come on leaps and bounds.
Although he’s restricted in some ways, through running or jumping, he has developed strength, balance, and spatial awareness.
His coordination is improving and he’s more active.
I have assessed him as emerging for gross motor skills, given his development at this stage.
I’m confident he’ll continue to make progress.
Thanks so much.
That’s helpful.
How is he getting on with his fine motor skills?
He’s doing great.
I assessed Sayeed as expected in his fine motor skills.
He can hold a pencil effectively with adapted tools and is beginning to show accuracy when drawing shapes and writing certain letters.
He has also started to experiment with a range of different tools, some of which are adapted.
For example, he’s confidently using loop scissors and other adapted resources to create models and artwork.
These adaptations have been key to helping him meet the expected level.
Thank you for sharing.
It’s helpful to understand which adaptations supported his development so we can continue using them.
The EYFS profile is about recognising progress and ensuring adaptations and adjustments are provided to support all children to thrive.
Principles for inclusive practice
When completing the EYFS profile, you should:
- focus on strengths as well as needs and avoid assuming that SEND means emerging in all areas
- consider what children can do when using support and adaptations
- be consistent in your expectations for all children and base judgements on the ELG criteria
- use a range of evidence, including observations and conversations with others (remember that you do not need to collect and document evidence)
- consider what development children at the emerging level have made and reflect on their progress
- use ongoing formative assessment to build a picture of progress over time to inform the final summative EYFS profile assessment
- apply a model of best-fit considering the child’s overall development
- involve parents, carers, and SENCOs in the assessment process where appropriate, particularly when a child shows different skills and behaviours at school and at home
- assess all areas of development, recognising that progress in one area can support another and identify specific next steps
The early years SEND assessment guidance and resources can help you to create a child-centred, strengths-based approach to assessing children’s needs throughout their time in the early years.
Further inclusive assessment support
For further guidance and resources to help you when assessing children with SEND throughout their time in Early Years, see Help for early years providers: Support for practitioners.