Early years foundation stage profile assessment support
Early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile assessment support for school leaders and practitioners.
Applies to England
Children’s early years are crucial to their future development, health and life chances. The Plan for Change set the ambition for 75% of children reaching a good level of development (GLD) in the EYFS profile assessment by 2028.
This support aims to develop practitioners’ and leaders’ knowledge and expertise in the statutory assessment, which will build further confidence in the GLD measure.
Aims of the EYFS profile assessment support
The support aims to:
- develop practitioners’ and leaders’ knowledge and expertise
- address common misconceptions about the assessment requirements
- improve the reliability of EYFS profile assessment data
Strengthening assessment practice will support children’s successful transition to Year 1. This will help to ensure that professional dialogue between EYFS and Year 1 colleagues is informed by accurate and consistent judgements.
What the support includes
The following support is available:
- training materials
- EYFS profile assessment support through sessions facilitated by local authorities
Examples of training materials available:
- short written information on key areas of the EYFS profile assessment, including the role of the headteacher and senior leaders, and inclusive assessment
- bite-size online videos of 5 minutes or less, covering topics like how to assess early learning goals
- case studies to show assessment in practice
- EYFS profile content in Module 7 of the online early years child development training, plus more reception content to be added from spring 2026
How to access training materials
Training materials are available on Help for early years providers: EYFS profile assessment support.
Find local support
DfE is funding local authorities to provide EYFS profile assessment support for schools and pre-reception settings through the Best Start Family Hubs grant.
These sessions will support practitioners to share best practice and support each other to complete the EYFS profile assessment.
The first session, delivered by local authorities in the summer term, will focus on professional dialogue. This will be followed by 2 further sessions in the autumn and spring term.