Childminding UK: Completing the Progress Check at Age Two

Introduction

Here, we will look at the 2 Year progress check. Many people are uncertain who should fill out a 2 Year check, what it should look like and what should be included. We hope the following information will help make things clearer.

So, what does the EYFS say about the 2 Year Check?

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires that parents and carers must be supplied with a short written summary of the child's development in the three prime learning and development areas.

It has 3 main purposes:

• Working in partnership with parents - supporting children’s development and wellbeing is achieved best by working together.

• Action for every child – every child is unique. We need to listen to the child, communicate with each other and then work together to enable each child to reach their potential.

• Early identification - Some children need extra help for a while as they grow and develop, and some families may need support themselves. Sensitive early intervention can make a big difference.

What does this mean for practitioners?

This means you must supply a summary (summative assessment) of a child's development showing where the child is, in relation to the areas of learning, at a given point during the year when the child is between two and three years of age.

What if the child attends more than one setting?

If a child splits their time between settings, for example a nursery and a childminder, the setting where the child spends most of their time will be responsible for completing the development summary. It is however expected that both settings contribute towards its completion. As settings should be communicating and sharing information on a regular basis regarding the child's learning and development anyway, this should not involve much extra work.

What should the 2 Year check summary look like?

The EYFS does not require the progress check to be completed in a prescribed or standard format. It only specifies that information about a child’s development should be provided to parents in the prime areas of learning and development of the EYFS. Therefore, if you are already providing regular summative assessments to parents in a format that covers the above or are regularly using a summative format on an online system, that can be used as your 2 year check summary. Suggested formats and examples of how to complete them can be found in the guide Progress check at aged two.

What should the 2 Year check summary include?

This is a compulsory summative assessment that is required and shows a summary of the child’s all-round development at that time. The summary needs to identify the child's strengths as well as any areas where the child's progress is less than expected.

If there are any significant emerging concerns or an identified special educational need or disability, you should devise a targeted plan to support the child's future learning and development involving parents and/or carers and other professionals as appropriate.

What is the purpose of the 2 Year Progress Check?

The purpose of completing this summary is to ensure the individual needs of the child are met. It enables you to:

• Review a child’s development in the three prime areas of the EYFS

• Ensure that parents have a clear picture of their child’s development.

• Support the parents to understand the child’s needs and support them to enhance development at home.

• Understand the child’s needs and plan activities to meet them in the setting. All relevant professionals and parents should contribute their knowledge of the child's needs to develop the child's 'next steps'.

• Note any areas where a child is progressing well and identify any areas where progress is less than expected so that early intervention can be put in place. The progress check should not highlight any area that the parent was not already aware of. There should be no 'surprises'.

• Describe actions the provider intends to take to address any developmental concerns (including working with other professionals where appropriate).

When is the best time to complete the 2 Year progress check?

The progress check should be provided (where possible) in time to inform the Healthy Child Programme and Development Review that the Health Visitor completes when the child is around 30 months old. The EYFS states that the 2 year progress check can be completed at any time between the ages of two and three.

This may not be possible at all times due to:

• The time the child starts attending the setting - you will need to allow time for the child to settle in in order to acurately assess the child's abilities and interests in order to write the report.

• A child having had a period of ill health or a significant event in the family meaning that the child’s development may have digressed (e.g.significant person bereavement) - it may be appropriate for you to delay the check.

• If the child only attends for a short period of time during the week but does not attend another setting it will take longer for you to build up a clear picture of the child’s development therefore, it may be appropriate to delay the check.

Is there a particular form to use?

The progress check must identify:

• The child's strengths and any areas where the child's progress is less than expected - This should relate to at least the three prime areas.

• Parent's voice - The involvement of parents is crucial as this leads to improved cognitive, social and emotional outcomes for children. The guidance includes lots of information about how to engage parents.

• Child's voice - All children have the right to be listened to and their voice be considered. They can help to record their progress and identify what they have enjoyed or found difficult. Those children with limited speech may communicate through gesture and action (body language, facial expressions). ' With the right support, children can identify what they have enjoyed or found difficult and assess their own progress. Very young children, including children with SEND, may tell us what they are thinking and feeling through words, or they might use gestures, actions and body language.'

• Practitioner's voice (including any practitioner outside the setting) - This represents your assessed knowledge of the child and children’s development. Remember that the discussion points in section 3 along with the Checkpoints in Development Matters can help you.

• Next Steps for practitioners and parents - You will need to work together with the parents in order to plan together and think through ideas about how to move the child forward. Next steps need to be planned for the setting and home. Some parents will be more difficult to engage with than others, but you will be expected to find a solution to engage with all parents. You will need to give serious thought as to how you will communicate with each individual parent and create a two-way conversation. You may be communicating differently with each parent instead of using a set format for your practice (texting, email, conversation, letters, pro-formas etc.). Evidence shows the importance of the child's home learning environment and children future development, and learning will benefit from this working together.

It is important to write as clearly as possible (maybe you should consider typing the check) so that all parties can read and understand the information.

About us

Childminding UK has been supporting childminders for over 30 years. Formed in 1991 by and for local working childminders in Northamptonshire, we now support childminders across the country. A registered charity, we are the only national organisation that solely supports childminders and we have recently achieved the Princess Royal Training Award for ‘Ensuring high quality childcare through training and support’. All staff are experienced childcare professionals, and have been childminders themselves and our trustees are working childminders or have knowledge of childminding, so we have a good understanding of the sector.

To find out more about Childminding UK or to get in touch - childmindinguk.com

Please note, the information in this article is provided by Childminding UK and does not represent the views or opinions of Morton Michel.