Foundation Stage Profile data

Date of issue: Feb. 2006

Audience: Heads and deputies, Foundation Stage practitioners

Summary

The rapid pace of change in the legislation and inspection frameworks that apply to children from birth to the age of six has required local authorities, practitioners and settings to develop their practice significantly. These web pages are the response from the Primary Strategy promised in the letter sent to CEOs in March 2004. The aim is to summarise current discussion and share examples of the effective use of data at the end of the Foundation Stage.

The examples chosen are responses to local situations: the size and nature of the authority, the level of resource applied to data collection and analysis, local social and demographic conditions. They have been received positively by schools because they relate directly to pupil progress and are accessible to non-specialists.

These pages also explore terminology: What is implied by "attainment on entry" and the variables that influence it? Is there a uniform age on entry? These explanations are likely to generate further questions: What is meant by "prior experience"? What is an acceptable level of attendance? How do we measure it? Contact foundationstage@capita.co.uk if you require further information.

Local authority re-organisation in response to the Every Child Matters agenda has resulted in changes in alignment. To assist colleagues new to this area, a number of key reference documents are also attached to these web pages along with links to helpful websites.