Introduction

The 2 year progress check is an important part of early years practice in England. It helps practitioners review a child’s development, identify strengths, recognise where additional support may be needed and work with parents to plan appropriate next steps.

At Early Years Insight, we understand that completing a 2-year progress check can sometimes feel difficult, particularly when practitioners want to make sure their assessment is accurate, meaningful and useful for parents.

The 2-year progress check is an important part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). It gives practitioners an opportunity to review a child’s development, recognise their strengths and interests, identify any areas where additional support may be needed, and agree appropriate next steps.

The check is not simply about completing a form.

It should help practitioners and parents develop a shared understanding of the child’s development and consider how the child’s learning and development can continue to be supported.

The Department for Education’s guidance explains that the progress check focuses on the three prime areas of the EYFS:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

The official DfE Progress Check at Age 2 guidance provides further information for early years practitioners.

What Is the 2-Year Progress Check?

The 2-year progress check is a statutory EYFS assessment for children aged between 2 and 3 years.

Practitioners review the child’s development and provide parents or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas.

The purpose is to identify:

• What the child is doing well
• The child’s interests and strengths
• Areas where additional support may be helpful
• Any emerging developmental concerns
• Appropriate next steps
• Strategies that can be used to support the child

The check should be based on the practitioner’s knowledge of the child rather than a single activity or isolated observation.

It is also important to remember that the progress check is not a diagnosis and should not be used to label children.

The DfE confirms that the progress check helps practitioners identify strengths and areas where progress may be less than expected and consider appropriate support.

When Should the 2-Year Progress Check Be Completed?

The EYFS requires practitioners to review a child’s progress when the child is aged between 2 and 3 years.

Settings should consider the individual circumstances of the child when deciding the most useful time to complete the check.

For example, practitioners may need to consider:

• How long the child has attended the setting
• The child’s attendance
• How settled the child is
• The relationship between the child and their key person
• Information available from parents
• Information from previous settings
• Any involvement from other professionals

The aim is to complete the check at a useful point when practitioners have enough knowledge of the child to provide a meaningful summary.

If a child moves between settings between the ages of 2 and 3, practitioners should communicate appropriately with parents and the relevant setting about who will complete the progress check.

The current EYFS statutory framework provides the relevant requirements.

What Is the Purpose of the 2-Year Progress Check?

The progress check has an important role in supporting children’s development.

Recognising strengths

A good progress check should begin by recognising what the child can do.

For example:

“Child A confidently chooses activities independently and enjoys exploring the outdoor environment. He particularly enjoys physical play and sensory activities.”

This gives parents a positive and individual picture of their child.

Identifying areas for support

The check can also identify areas where a child may benefit from additional support.

For example:

“Child A is beginning to use single words but often relies on gestures to communicate his needs. We will continue to support his communication through modelling language, songs, stories and everyday conversations.”

Agreeing next steps

The progress check should lead to action.

Practitioners should consider:

What can we do next?

What can parents do at home?

Does the child need additional support?

Do we need to involve the SENCO or another professional?

The DfE guidance emphasises that the progress check should support appropriate action where concerns or additional needs are identified.

The Three Prime Areas

The written progress check must focus on the three prime areas of the EYFS.

Communication and Language

Practitioners can consider how the child:

• Communicates needs and wants
• Understands familiar language
• Responds to adults
• Uses words, sounds or gestures
• Develops vocabulary
• Listens to stories and songs
• Takes part in conversations
• Responds to questions and instructions

Remember that communication does not only mean spoken words.

Some children may communicate through gestures, facial expressions, sounds, signs, visual supports or other forms of communication.

The assessment should describe the child’s individual communication style.

Physical Development

Physical development includes children’s growing control and coordination.

Practitioners might consider:

• Walking
• Running
• Climbing
• Balancing
• Throwing
• Kicking
• Fine motor skills
• Mark making
• Using utensils
• Dressing
• Hand washing
• Developing independence

For example, a child may be confident running and climbing but still be developing their fine motor skills.

A useful assessment would describe this rather than simply saying:

“Physical development is good.”

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

This area considers children’s relationships, emotional development and growing independence.

Practitioners might consider:

• Relationships with familiar adults
• Relationships with other children
• Separation from parents
• Expressing emotions
• Managing changes
• Developing independence
• Following familiar routines
• Asking for help
• Beginning to understand others’ feelings
• Developing confidence

Children develop emotional regulation at different rates.

Practitioners should consider the child’s individual development rather than expecting every child to respond in exactly the same way.

How to Prepare for the Progress Check

A good 2-year progress check should not be based on one observation completed immediately before the assessment.

Instead, practitioners should use information gathered naturally through everyday practice.

Useful evidence can include:

• Observations
• Conversations
• Play
• Routines
• Mealtimes
• Outdoor activities
• Parent discussions
• Key-person knowledge
• Children’s interests
• Previous assessments
• Information from other professionals where appropriate

The DfE encourages practitioners to avoid unnecessary paperwork and use meaningful professional knowledge rather than excessive tracking.

This is an important message for practitioners:

You do not need hundreds of observations to show that you know a child well.

Meaningful observations and professional knowledge are much more useful than unnecessary paperwork.

How to Write a High-Quality 2-Year Progress Check

Avoid vague statements such as:

“Child is doing well.”

Instead, describe what the child actually does.

Weak example

“Child has good communication skills.”

Better example

“Child A uses familiar words to communicate his needs and is beginning to combine two words during everyday routines. He enjoys singing familiar songs and often repeats words from stories.”

The second example provides evidence and gives the parent a much clearer understanding of the child’s development.

You can then identify a next step:

“We will continue to develop Child A’s vocabulary by introducing new words during play, sharing stories and giving him time to respond during conversations.”

2-Year Progress Check Example

Child’s strengths

Child A is a curious and active child who enjoys exploring the nursery environment. He particularly enjoys outdoor play, sensory activities and exploring resources independently. He has developed a positive relationship with his key person and is becoming increasingly confident in the setting.

Communication and Language

Child A understands familiar instructions and responds to his name. He uses single words, sounds and gestures to communicate his needs and is beginning to combine words. He enjoys stories and songs and often repeats familiar words. We will continue to support his language development through stories, songs, everyday conversations and modelling simple sentences.

Physical Development

Child A confidently runs, climbs and explores the outdoor environment. He enjoys physical activities and is developing his balance and coordination. He is also developing his fine motor skills through play dough, mark making and activities involving small objects. He is becoming increasingly independent during everyday routines.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Child A has developed secure relationships with familiar adults and is becoming more confident when separating from his parent. He enjoys playing alongside other children and is beginning to take part in shared play. He sometimes needs adult support when another child takes a resource he is using. Practitioners will continue to support him to express his feelings and develop positive ways of solving conflicts.

Next steps

We will continue to support Child A’s communication and emotional development by modelling language, providing opportunities for small-group interaction and helping him use words to express his needs and feelings.

Identifying Concerns About Development

Sometimes the progress check may identify an area where a child needs additional support.

Practitioners should take concerns seriously but should not make assumptions or attempt to diagnose a condition.

If you have concerns, follow your setting’s procedures and discuss the situation with the appropriate person, such as:

• Key person
• Room leader
• Manager
• SENCO
• DSL where safeguarding concerns are involved
• Health visitor
• Other relevant professionals

The DfE guidance explains that the progress check can help identify additional developmental needs and support practitioners in working with parents and other professionals.

Supporting Children With SEND

The progress check should be inclusive and strengths-based.

When a child has additional needs, practitioners should consider:

• What the child can do
• What the child enjoys
• How the child communicates
• What helps them participate
• What adaptations are effective
• What support they require
• What their parents have noticed
• What should happen next

For example:

“Child B communicates using gestures, sounds and a small number of familiar words. She enjoys sensory play and confidently chooses activities independently. She responds particularly well when practitioners use simple language, visual prompts and additional processing time.”

This provides useful information without defining the child by their needs.

If additional needs are identified, the setting should work with parents, the SENCO and other relevant professionals as appropriate.

Working With Parents and Carers

Parents should be involved in the progress check.

Parents may know things about their child that practitioners do not see at nursery.

For example, a child may use more language at home, demonstrate independence with dressing or show particular interests that have not yet appeared in the setting.

Useful questions include:

What does your child enjoy doing at home?

How does your child communicate when they need something?

What new skills have you noticed recently?

Is there anything about your child’s development that you would like to discuss?

What would you like us to support your child with next?

The DfE guidance highlights the importance of involving parents and discussing how the progress summary can support the child’s development at home.

Working With Health Visitors and Other Professionals

It is important to understand that the EYFS 2-year progress check and the health visitor’s 2-year health and development review are not the same assessment.

The early years provider completes the EYFS progress check.

The health visiting service carries out the health and development review.

Where possible, the two reviews can inform each other and support joined-up working.

The DfE’s guidance on integrated reviews explains how the EYFS progress check and health review can work together.

Information sharing must be handled appropriately, including obtaining parental consent where this is required.

What the 2-Year Progress Check Is Not

It is not an exam

Children do not sit a test.

It is not a diagnosis

Practitioners should not diagnose developmental conditions through the progress check.

It is not a tick-list exercise

Developmental guidance should support professional judgement rather than becoming a checklist.

It is not only about weaknesses

The child’s strengths and interests are equally important.

It is not an Ofsted form

The purpose is to support the individual child, not simply to prepare for inspection.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using the same wording for every child

Each child is different, so the assessment should be individual.

2. Writing only “doing well”

Give examples of what the child can actually do.

3. Focusing only on concerns

Begin with the child’s strengths and interests.

4. Forgetting parents’ views

Parents provide valuable information about their child’s development.

5. Not identifying next steps

The assessment should help practitioners decide what to do next.

6. Using too much jargon

Write in clear language that parents can understand.

7. Creating unnecessary paperwork

Quality assessment is not about producing the largest amount of documentation.

2-Year Progress Check Checklist

Before completing the check, ask:

☐ Have I identified the child’s strengths?

☐ Have I considered the child’s interests?

☐ Have I considered all three prime areas?

☐ Have I used meaningful observations?

☐ Have I spoken with the child’s parents?

☐ Have I considered the child’s individual needs?

☐ Have I identified appropriate next steps?

☐ Have I considered whether additional support is needed?

☐ Have I involved the SENCO where appropriate?

☐ Have I considered information from other professionals where appropriate?

☐ Is the assessment clear and understandable?

☐ Have I avoided unnecessary paperwork?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 2-year progress check compulsory?

Yes. The EYFS requires practitioners to review a child’s progress when they are aged between 2 and 3 and provide parents or carers with a short written summary covering the prime areas.

What are the three areas covered?

The three prime areas are:

Communication and language

Physical development

Personal, social and emotional development

Is the 2-year progress check the same as the health visitor check?

No. They are separate assessments, although they can inform each other as part of an integrated review.

Does the check need to say “emerging” or “expected”?

No. The 2026 EYFS changes specifically state that there is no requirement to identify children as emerging or expected for the 2-year check.

What if I have concerns about a child’s development?

Discuss the concerns with the appropriate person in your setting and work in partnership with parents. Depending on the concern, the SENCO, health visitor or another professional may need to be involved.

Do I need lots of observations?

No. Use meaningful observations and your professional knowledge of the child. Avoid creating unnecessary paperwork.

Has the 2-year progress check changed in 2026?

No. The DfE confirms that there are no changes to the progress check at age 2 in the 2026 EYFS framework changes.

Final Thoughts

At Early Years Insight, we believe that a good 2-year progress check should be more than a document that is completed and filed away.

It should help practitioners and parents understand the child’s strengths, interests, development and next steps.

The best assessments are individual, evidence-informed and written in clear language that families can understand.

They recognise what children can do while identifying where additional support may be helpful.

Most importantly, the progress check should lead to meaningful action.

If a child is progressing well, practitioners can think about how to extend their learning and independence. If concerns are identified, the setting can work with parents, the SENCO and relevant professionals to put appropriate support in place.

For more practical EYFS guidance, safeguarding information, SEND support, Ofsted guidance and downloadable nursery resources, explore Early Years Insight.

Useful Links and Further Reading

🔗 Early Years Insight — Internal Links

Early Years Insight homepage
Early Years Insight

Ofsted Changes 2026: A Complete Guide for Early Years Practitioners
This is a useful related article for practitioners who want to understand wider Ofsted expectations and inspection preparation.
Read our Ofsted Changes 2026 guide

Important: I have deliberately not invented URLs for your observation/SEND resources because I could not verify their exact current URLs from the live site. Once those pages are published or you give me their URLs, we can add them naturally to the relevant sections.

🔗 Official External Links

DfE – Progress Check at Age 2
Read the official Progress Check at Age 2 guidance

DfE – EYFS Statutory Framework
Read the EYFS Statutory Framework

DfE – Integrated Reviews
Read the official Integrated Reviews guidance

DfE – Early Years and Childcare Guidance
Early years and childcare guidance for providers