This article focuses on the assessment of children aged three to four/five attending publicly funded non-compulsory pre-school education. These children are in the Foundation Phase, which spans both pre-school education and Years 1 and 2 of primary education (ages five to seven).

The Foundation Phase Profile (FPP)

There are no statutory requirements for early years practitioners / nursery teachers to assess children during non-compulsory pre-school education in the Foundation Phase.

However, the Foundation Phase Profile, which is used to assess children in the reception class (ages four/five) in maintained primary schools, and at the end of the Foundation Phase (ages six/seven), can be used to support assessment of children’s learning and development in the earlier years of the Foundation Phase (ages three to four/five).

The Foundation Phase Profile is a tool which assesses children’s abilities and development in different areas of learning. It is based on the Foundation Phase Framework Outcomes and, through the use of observations and formative assessments, it aims to support practitioners to develop an appropriate curriculum for all children.

The Profile consists of a ‘compact profile’, designed for use in ‘baseline assessment’ in the reception class, and a ‘full profile’, designed for use in assessment at the end of the Foundation Phase. Four areas of learning are assessed in the compact profile; three at the end of the Foundation Phase, as follows:

• personal and social development, well-being and cultural diversity,
• language, literacy and communication skills,
• mathematical development,
• physical development (as part of baseline assessment only).

The Profile contains detailed ‘skills ladders’, which practitioners use to form consistent judgements about each area of learning.

The Foundation Phase Profile is described in detail in the article on ‘Assessment in Primary Education’.

Article last reviewed December 2020.