Please see message below from the Dfe
Dear colleagues,
This academic year, the Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile must be completed for each child and submitted to the local authorities no later than 30 June 2023.
The 2023 guide for submitting EYFS profile assessments will be published later this Spring. Ahead of publication, we wanted to get in touch to proactively clarify usage of the ‘A’ code for assessment rating, as I know there have been some queries about this.
Exemptions
The profile should be completed during the summer term of the academic year in which a child reached age 5 unless:
In these situations, the profile should be completed with an ‘A’ code for each scale within the profile.
Where a child has a special educational need or disability (SEND), teachers should take care to ensure the child is able to demonstrate their development and attainment and should not assign an exemption to the child unless one has been previously obtained.
Continuing EYFS profile provision
There may also be instances where the child is continuing in early years foundation stage profile provision beyond the year in which they turn 5. In these exceptional cases, assessment should continue throughout the child’s time within EYFS provision.
An EYFS profile should be completed once only, at the end of the year before the child moves into KS1. For further information, practitioners should refer to sections 3.2 and 3.3 of the EYFSP handbook.
Absences and recent arrivals
There may be cases where the child has spent a lengthy period of time away from the setting, for example, due to illness or medical treatment. There may also be instances where the child has recently arrived from abroad.
We would encourage providers to complete the EYFSP in the majority of cases, unless an exemption has been granted. This is because the EYFSP is an important tool to help their new teacher understand their needs and support a child’s transition into KS1. However, it is down to a teacher’s professional judgement as to whether an accurate assessment can be made in the time available, or whether it would be more appropriate to use code ‘A’ in these instances.
Section 4.3 of the EYFSP handbook provides information on assessment when a child has moved to a new setting or provider during the academic year.
If you have any further questions about the profile, please contact the EYFS Quality team at exemptions.eyfs@education.gov.uk.
Kind regards,
EYFS Quality team
