EYFS Assessment at Brookfield

At Brookfield, we use Birth to 5 Matters alongside our personalised Brookfield Curriculum Goals: Strong Foundations to understand and track children’s learning and development throughout Reception. This helps us to recognise what each child already knows and can do, identify their next steps and ensure that our teaching and provision are responsive to their individual needs.

Assessment begins before children even start school. Through home visits and transition events, we begin building positive relationships with children and families and start to learn about each child’s interests, experiences and individual needs.

During the first few weeks of Reception, our priority is getting to know each child as an individual. We observe how they learn, what interests them, what motivates them and how they interact with others. Children are given plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills naturally through play, exploration and everyday experiences. We use our own Brookfield baseline approach alongside the DfE Reception Baseline Assessment, which is a statutory assessment.

Once we have built a clear picture of each child’s starting points, our usual Reception routines and curriculum are fully established. Children benefit from high-quality adult-led teaching alongside purposeful free-flowing continuous provision, allowing them to practise, apply and deepen their learning throughout the day.

During the first part of the Autumn Term, our timetable is intentionally adapted to place a strong focus on the core foundations of learning: Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. These areas underpin children’s ability to learn, communicate, develop independence and build positive relationships, providing the strong foundations they need for future learning.

We value working closely with parents and families throughout this journey. Parents are kept regularly informed about their child’s learning and development.