Today’s news review looks at coverage of the latest early years foundation stage statistics.
Early years foundation stage profile
On Thursday 24 November, we published additional data on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) statistics, which show that attainment in all three measures is increasing year on year for ethnicity, Free School Meals (FSM) and first language demographics.
The EYFSP results, first published in October, show that nearly 70% (69.3%) of children achieved a good level of development in 2016 and that the gender and disadvantage gap is narrowing. Thursday’s data breaks down these figures further.
- The percentage of children with FSM achieving a good level of development increased. There are now an extra 3,000 children with FSM achieving a good level of development. The gap between FSM and non-FSM also decreased.
- The percentage of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) achieving a good level of development increased by 2%, the equivalent of an extra 1,200 children. The percentage of children whose first language is other than English achieving a good level of development increased – the equivalent of an extra 4,300 children. The gap between English and ‘other than English’ has narrowed.
The story was covered in the Sun and by the Press Association.
A DfE spokesperson said:
We are clear that high quality early education is vital in giving all children the best chance to fulfil their potential.
These results show a continued rise in the number of children reaching the expected standards, with the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers also decreasing
We are determined to go further to improve quality, which is why we are doing more than ever to help attract and retain the best staff and are investing a record £6bn per year in childcare by 2020.
See the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile statistics here.